OPERA REVIEW : A Primitive, Poignant ‘Ring’ in San Francisco Comes Full Circle : Wagner: Janis Martin’s radiant, expressive Brunnhilde proved cause for rejoicing in ‘Gotterdammerung.’

The quasi-innocent Siegfried got stabbed in the back by the evil Hagen, masquerading here as a Storm Trooper. The long-winded hero died a loud, reflective death. That was just the beginning of the end.

The noble Brunnhilde, after bidding an expansive farewell to life, love and the declining gods, mounted her lover’s funeral pyre amid lots of red light and dry ice. The universe caught fake fire dutifully, walls on scrims came tumbling down and the mellifluous mermaids of the Rhine, clad in ragged nighties, repossessed their magic ring. All, after a Wagnerian fashion, was well with the world again.

This was the denouement of “Gotterdammerung” as performed Tuesday night at the San Francisco Opera. The denouement, not incidentally, delivered its much needed catharsis 5 hours and 35 minutes after the curtain had risen on this particular opera. The large, though non-capacity, audience registered push-button ecstasy as the curtain descended with the final resolution of the motive of Redemption.

Relief at last.

This “Ring des Nibelungen” already had been casting its hypnotic--some might say psychosexual--spell at the quake-scarred War Memorial Opera House for 12 hours spread over three previous evenings. And the cycle in question was just the second installment in what promised to be a four-”Ring” circus in Bagdad by the Bay. It may be worth noting, incidentally, that the wily management, in conjunction with a generous corporate sponsor, served free coffee to the non-dozing devout during intermission.

The current revival of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s controversial 1985 “Ring” has had its obvious problems. In the absence of the original stage director, a couple of well-meaning, hard-working junior assistants have functioned essentially as traffic cops. The complex dramatic outlines have remained fuzzy.

Familiarity with John Conklin’s designs--uncomfortable fusions of Romantic kitsch, modern symbolism and intentional anachronism--has not invariably bred admiration. Peter Schneider’s conducting, tending toward the hasty, has inspired primitive orchestral responses. The casting, like the casting these days of any “Ring” anywhere, has been spotty.

Nevertheless, “Gotterdammerung” made its wonted impact. The forces rallied on this occasion--well, most of them managed to rally. A team spirit prevailed.

Schneider did not become an introspective poet overnight. He did, however, enforce degrees of breadth, tension and structural logic that had previously remained elusive. Even though the brass sounded tired and the winds suffered pitch problems, the orchestra responded with unexpected cohesion and momentum.

The scenic vexations, in this context, seemed relatively minor. And one found some cause for rejoicing on the stage.

Most of the rejoicing could be credited to Janis Martin, who again sang Brunnhilde with lyrical radiance, verbal point, an arching legato. This healthy Valkyrie from Sacramento, a veteran of 30 San Francisco seasons and long an adornment of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, paced herself most cannily over the daunting vocal haul.

Other sopranos may summon more heroic thrust for the oath on the spear, or richer tone for the most poignant phrase in the Immolation Scene: “Ruhe, ruhe, du Gott.” Few contemporary rivals, however, can match Martin in matters of steadiness, freshness and expressive sincerity.

This Brunnhilde might find a worthy Siegfried in Siegfried Jerusalem, who was reportedly indisposed when he taped the role for the Met telecast (concluding tonight on KCET and KOCE). In San Francisco, her partner was the ever-sympathetic, once imposing Rene Kollo, who now bleats and wobbles rather alarmingly through the monstrous role.

Eric Halfvason, the new Nazified Hagen, commands an appropriately big and dark basso--the real, rare thing. Unfortunately, he compromised his own impact by trying to sound bigger and darker than nature intended, the result being a dull sound under stress and chronically distorted diction.

The decadent Gibichung siblings (here as lustily incestuous as Siegmund and Sieglinde) were again portrayed by Michael Devlin and Kathryn Day (the latter used to be celebrated as Kathryn Bouleyn). Both looked terrific. Both sounded strained.

Katherine Ciesinski imparted much urgency, if not so much weight, to Waltraute’s pathetic warnings. Franz Mazura crept and snarled knowingly as Alberich. The Norns--Birgitta Svenden, Ciesinski and Day--seemed underpowered, but the Rhine-maidens--Ann Panagulias, Mary Mills and Sandra Walker--turned out to be an extraordinarily seductive trio.

The chorus of vassals, trained by Ian Robertson, made a suitably mighty noise.

Without time for so much as a gasp, “Ring” No. 3, opened here on Wednesday with a new conductor, a new Wotan, a different Brunnhilde and a different Alberich. Stay tuned.