'Siegfried' is a Wagner tour de force.

Byline: Jim Farber, Correspondent

Luminescent in its staging, resounding in its orchestral performance, and heroic in the level of its singing, Los Angeles Opera's "Siegfried" is a dazzler. That's my opinion.

But I would be naive to assume everyone will find director and designer Achim Freyer's interpretation as exciting as I do. Newcomers to Wagner's four-opera epic, "Der Ring des Nibelungen," as well as those that require their Wagner by the book, are certain to be perplexed and annoyed by Freyer's painterly abstractions and enigmatic design elements.

I can't even tell you why in Part 3 of the saga the dwarf Alberich has suddenly turned into Captain Hook; or what those road signs pointing "Ost" (east) are all about; or why Wagner's forest primeval more closely resembles a soccer stadium.

But I am willing to live with these mysteries because so many other elements of Freyer's stagecraft, particularly his use of magical glowing rods, sculptural costuming and spectacular projections, abound with a sense of originality and wonder.

At the Saturday premiere, scattered boos greeted Freyer when the 75-year-old director came on stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for his curtain call. But those boos were far less plentiful than exuberant cheers.

There was no equivocation whatsoever for the ovation that deluged music director James Conlon, who for almost five hours led the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra through the shimmering vistas and shadowy chasms of Wagner's score. It was a performance that was world-class in every detail, from the tumultuous casting of the hero's sword, to the dulcet call of the Forest Bird, and the superheated passion of the climactic duet when Siegfried (John Treleaven) awakens the warrior maiden Brunnhilde (Linda Watson).

Freyer's Siegfried is part clown, part hero. He's a blue-bodied, blond-haired, muscle-bound country bumpkin, devoid of fear and social graces who bestrides the stage in a pair of furry bear britches. On opening night, Treleaven sang the role with a rambunctious combination of "heigh-ho" heldentenor magnitude and strutting cartoon bravado. The role, however, is unforgiving in its vocal demands. And by Act 3, the tensile strength of Treleaven's high notes began to waver. Even so, it was a most endearing rendition.

Brunnhilde, on the other hand, has the luxury of not arriving until Act 3, so she's vocally fresh as a daisy. From the moment of her shimmering awakening (one of the high points of the opera) to her final exclamations of passion for the hero who has rescued her, Watson was impressive.

With the exception of Siegfried and the Forest Bird (warbled beautifully by soprano Stacey Tappan), the cast carries over from the previous operas. And they are a dynamic ensemble.

Graham Clark snivels deliciously as Mime, the gold-craving dwarf charged with the thankless task of raising Siegfried. The role of his embittered brother, Alberich (whose theft of the Rheingold sets the entire plot in motion), is sung with bitterness and resonance by Oleg Bryjak. Eric Halfvarson is the slumbering dragon, Fafner, who awakens only to be slaughtered by Siegfried.

Wotan, the one-eyed king of the gods who sees his powerful reign coming to an end, is delivered with towering strength by Vitalij Kowaljow. The Earth mother, Erda, who rises from the stage like an enormous chrysalis, is sung by Jill Grove.

Los Angeles Opera is now just one giant step away from completing its first "Ring Cycle." Wagner's final cataclysmic chapter, "Gotterdammerung" ("Twilight of the Gods"), will be unveiled in April, followed by three festival-style presentations of the entire cycle in May and June, a musical event that is sure to attract international attention.

Siegfried - Three and one half stars

What: Los Angeles Opera's production of Wagner's epic.

When: 2 p.m. today, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, 2 p.m. Oct. 11 and 5:30p.m. Oct. 17.

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Cost: $20-$260.

Information: 213-972-8001; www.laopera.com

In a nutshell: Los Angeles Opera's "Siegfried" is a Wagnerian tour de force. But director/designer Achim Freyer's boldly personal concept may not appeal to everyone.

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Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) John Treleaven, above and top, is the title character in Wagner's "Siegfried." Linda Watson, top, plays Brunnhilde and Graham Clark, inset, is Mime in the production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion through Oct. 17.