Die Walküre by Richard Wagner San Francisco Opera 29 November 1995 Barbara and I went to this Walküre filled with anticipation: for the powerful, vaulting music, for an echo of our recent Seattle Ring experience, and most of all for the singing of Anne Evans. Our standards were greatly elevated. Having heard Ms Evans in a triumphant Tristan und Isolde in Wales, we had high hopes for her Sieglinde. We were not disappointed. She sang radiantly: smooth, effortless legato, confident and secure, and more expressive than any soprano I have ever heard. Her singing in the final act, just before she runs away to hide and have her baby, was rich, lush and emotional -- in every way the crowning moment of the evening. She played opposite an energetic and vigorous young Dane (Poul Elming) as Siegmund and bathed him in expression and descriptive nuance. He was an appealing and looked the part, singing adequately: good middle and lower register, a full and pretty sound. I also liked Willard White as Wotan: a good voice (though not powerful) and a commanding presence. He acted the role with subtlety and grace. Victor von Halem was an overpowering Hunding, a huge impressive presence and a deep rich sound. Marilyn Zschau sang Brunnhilde much as she had in Seattle: a vigorous but brittle sound, spotty in its effectiveness. Her relationship with White was effective and convincing; she truly seemed the dutiful, somewhat playful warrior maiden. Catherine Keen was standing in as Fricka and sang it well. The orchestra under Donald Runnicles opened with a brisk, driven overture and was lush and resonant throughout. Our seats (close to the stage, on the right) made the brass overbalanced from our perspective and it wasn't perfect by a long shot. I had seen Walküre only in two previous Seattle Rings, and I appreciated this traditional staging -- even if Valhalla did look like an Egyptian temple. Perhaps some of the architecture was left over from an old Aida. (I spoke with Robert Parks, the standee, who said Jane Eaglen's Brunnhilde in the first four operas was transcendent. I wish I had seen her and Anne Evans together.)