April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Wagner’s epic cycle of gods, humans, giants and one dragon pursuing power and gold continued at the Los Angeles Opera last weekend with Placido Domingo as the doomed Siegmund in “Die Walkure.”

(More performances today, Sunday, April 16, 19, 25.)

This was the second installment of the tetralogy, which is estimated to cost around $32 million by the time Valhalla burns along with Brunnhilde in the dying moments of “Gotterdammerung.”

Hopes were once high that the L.A. “Ring” would be directed by George Lucas, but in the end Domingo, who also runs the opera company, had to settle on the unlikely presence of Achim Freyer, a 75-year-old German whose heyday was a while ago, and who directed and designed. That is quite a lot for one mere mortal. The use of light sabers comes off like an ode to what might have been.

“Das Rheingold,” seen in February, proved a fussy melange of styles that obscured Wagner’s complicated narrative and contemptuously encumbered the singers with heavy masks.

“Walkure” was a marked improvement. For one, those masks are gone, and the imagery, while still a hodgepodge, was often striking. Most importantly, it had Domingo as Siegmund and Anja Kampe as Sieglinde, those incestuous twins, who produce Siegfried, the happy strongman who will entertain us with his swordmaking and loud singing in the next installment come September.

There is also Brunnhilde, Wotan’s daughter and Siegfried’s half-sister, who made her mark with the high-C-topped “Hojotoho” and ends the opera sleeping in a ring of fire.

Even at 68, Domingo continued to exude star quality as he sang, largely stationary, wearing dark, vaguely medieval robes and two-toned, blue-and-black makeup. Freyer’s direction of individuals is hardly insightful.

Insect-Like Carapaces

Thankfully, the stage was populated with fewer singers encased in insect-like carapaces than “Rheingold” had been, and the silent doubles who had mimed movement for them were also sharply reduced in number -- though neither of these mysterious touches has been eliminated entirely.

In the end, despite all the money spent so far, this remains a remarkably inconsistent show. The Valkyries came off like figures from a Dia de los Muertos ritual as they hauled slain warriors to Valhalla. Large puppet heads that look like they’d escaped from Maguy Marin’s dance dreamscapes cropped up seemingly at random. At other times, people exhibited the paralytic stances associated with Robert Wilson.

Licking Flames

I did love how the Valkyries’ horses turned into licking flames as Brunnhilde slips into slumberland. The effect was ingenious and effective, at least until a cheesy video footage of fire was projected onto an ever-present scrim at the foot of the stage.

Linda Watson’s Brunnhilde doesn’t possess quite the luster one wants in a proud Valkyrie, but her energy never flagged. Even better was Kampe’s Sieglinde. The sound glowed from within, complementing her sensitive characterization of a woman caught between powerful, competing forces. Eric Halfvarson’s resonant, menacing Hunding was mesmerizing.

Michelle DeYoung was a formidable Fricka in her scene with Vitalij Kowaljow, a brooding, not very charismatic Wotan.

Music director James Conlon placed a cowl over the orchestra to ape the legendary acoustics of Bayreuth’s Festspielhaus, Wagner’s purpose-built shrine to his genius. It had muffled the orchestra in “Rheingold.” But this time he drew a dappled and sensuous performance, full of shadow and cool light. Rating: ***

“Die Walkure” is at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, through April 25. For more information, see http://www.laopera.com or call +1-213-972-8001.

(David Mermelstein is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

What the Stars Mean:
****          Excellent
***           Good
**            Average
*             Poor
(No stars)    Worthless

To contact the writer on the story: David Mermelstein, in Los Angeles, at dmermelstein33@aol.com.

Last Updated: April 8, 2009 00:00 EDT