Instant ringnut

I can't stop listening to Wagner's ring cycle. A few weeks ago, I attended a complete Ring cycle at the Met. I had wanted to see the operas in four successive nights as Wagner intended, but I found tickets for weekend performances on ebay; tickets had been sold out for over a year. We were in the second to last row.

The music was great; the singers were hit and miss; the production left a lot to be desired. We had read about Ringnuts in the New York Times, who follow the opera cycle around the world, sometimes wearing viking hats. Yw bought us helmets, which we proudly wore to the performances. People followed us around; some asked outright to take our pictures, some attempted to be surreptitious. People asked where we bought the hats and with each night more helmuts appeared. The second night, a German television crew asked us if we could stand in front of the opera house so they could frame a better shot.

On the second night, the evening felt surreal. We sat in the same seats, surrounded by the same people. It was almost as if the day between performances had never happened. As the curtain came up on Die Walkure, I was swept away by the music and the story. I had purposely not read the synopsis, so that I could watch the opera unfold as gods and men sang on the stage.

I was tired by the time we reached the second weekend and Friday night's performance of Sigfried. I was disappointed to find that most of the opera was a summary of the past two nights. The music, however had become even more densely layered. People welcomed us; one had hoped to see us in our helmets and was happy we had come. The final opera ended almost comically, as the final deaths were treated somewhat haphazardly in the staging. When it was over it was like we had run a marathon. We had made it through some 17 hours of opera.

I started reserving complete Ring cycles at the library. I read opinions on different conductors. So far I've only made it through James Levine's complete recording. While lush, I find his reading somewhat plodding, and I agree with a review that lamented the somewhat nasal and lightweight Sigfried.

And although not a complete cycle, I really enjoy Erich Leinsdorf's muscular reading of Die Walküre. It grabs you from the first measure and doesn't let go. I can't wait to hear Solti's cycle.

Someday, I hope to attend a complete cycle in Bayreuth.
Posted by eku at August 9, 2007 9:07 PM