Der Ring des Nibelungen

If you know me you will know that I have enjoyed opera for a long time. I wouldn't tell you I'm and expert. Kevin is. I bow at his knowledge feet.

I get goosebumps when certain passages are sung. I cry at sad operas. Laugh at the buffo. I'm not an opera snob. I wish we could have popcorn and diet cokes in a holder and one of those big seats like you get in modern movie houses. I don't stand on much pretense.

Last night we saw the first of 4 parts of THE RING by Wagner. Rheingold.
http://www.chicagomag.com/primetime/marquee_story.htm

Peggy and I saw it 8 years ago. Big. Long. 18 hours of opera in 5 days. Sore rear. Tired. Trainride home arriving at 1AM.

Being gluttons for punishment we signed up again. 15 hours to go.

AND, It was wonderful, majestic, moving, colorful, riveting.

2 1/2 hours without intermission. Seemed like 2.

I have a few observations:

• The capacity of singers to color the nature of the characters is extraordinary. Alberich becomes almost sympathetic. Mime more submissive. Loge much more pensive and less playful. Woton passive aggressive.
  
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy is loosely based on this opera series (So was Star Wars), LOTR tracks with themes in the opera faithfully. I'm sure JRR Tolkien must have been a fan since Wagner wrote this 50 years before LOTR was written..
  
• Sometimes minimilism in staging assumes you know more than you do. I sometimes appreciate overt staging to help me understand what's going on.
• This opera is as much about the futility of satisfied greed and the impotence of realized power in humanity as anything.
• Even though there is little to offer metaphorically, but since I see Jesus in everything , the fact that the kingdom of the gods is destroyed by the chief god, Woton acting injustly answers a metaphysical question, can God lie. NO. Can he do other than justly, NO.

This cycle of 4 operas is the second for this year. There are tickets for next weeks cycle. If you can take it come to Chicago in the spring, get tickets and prepare for a real mind and body testing exercise. They won't do it again until 2010 or so. Next time I see this it will be in Bayreuth.