Christian Thielemann
© AFP/File Vincenzo PintoBAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) - Canadia's Adrianne Pieczonka stole the show with her rich, gleaming mezzo and gripping portrayal as the unhappy Sieglinde, who falls in love with her long-lost brother Siegmund.
German tenor Endrik Wottrich, a Bayreuth regular in recent years, was the doomed Siegmund, but sounded strangled and strained from his very first entry, with his voice nearly failing him by the end of Act II.
Korean bass Kwangchul Youn was excellent as the evil Hunding, and South African mezzo Michelle Breedt gave a solid performance of Fricka.
US soprano Linda Watson was more problematic in the title role, with her Bruennhilde sounding frayed and occasionally harsh, lacking the bloom and beauty the part needs.
German bass-baritone Albert Dohmen, making his role debut as Wotan, rose to the challenge admirably, but has yet to fully find his feet in this most demanding of roles.
The sets by Frank Philipp Schloessmann and costumes by Bernd Skodzig are a visual treat, but fail to hide Tankred Dorst's lazy direction, with the characters left largely to fend for themselves and their movement around the stage seeming haphazard and arbitrary.
Dorst's sole interpretative idea is that the world of Wagner's gods, dragons and dwarves co-exist in parallel with our own. And, as in the previous evening's "Rheingold", isolated figures from our world wander across the stage without seeing, or being seen by, Wagner's characters.
But Dorst fails to explore the idea in any depth.
On Saturday, a pair of lovers and a cyclist examining a map can seen at the back of stage during Wotan's famous monologue in Act II.
Similarly, a construction worker appears briefly on the sidelines, but then quickly disappears.
The images are so arbitrary, with no conceivable line of reference drawn to what is going on on stage, that they become simply distracting.
Aside from Piezconka's stunning Sieglinde, it is only German star conductor Christian Thielemann in the pit who brings a touch of world class to the evening.
He expertly accompanies the singers and coaxes the most gorgeous sounds out of the wondrous Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, which is assembled each year by the pick of German orchestras.
The 2007 Bayreuth Festival is set to continue on Monday, with the next instalment of the four-part Ring, "Siegfried".
©AFP