During the recent San Francisco Ring, the projected sur-titles informed the audience that the Norns had once laid cable at the World Ash tree, and were unclear where they should connect the cable they were working on now. Mime asked Loge whether he had been “raised in a barn;” Wotan referred to the Giants as […]
In Act II of Francesca Zambello’s production of Die Walküre, Wotan instructs Brünnhilde concerning Siegmund’s selection to Valhalla by referring to a square of cardboard, about 2 x 2, bearing his photograph. Later, as the Walküres assemble in Act III, each is bearing a similar photograph, black-and-white, closely cropped and resembling the photos of “this week’s […]
The audience went nuts at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House on Wednesday night (June 29, 2011) when Nina Stemme came out for her bows after a triumph as the Walküre Brünnhilde. She has chosen San Francisco to make her Ring Cycle role debut, and is in good company: Birgit Nilsson made her U.S. […]
The second installment in the Metropolitan Opera’s new Ring Cycle is a theatrical triumph. It places the exciting drama in a bold, imaginative theatrical space; evokes a profoundly romantic world depicted with contemporary flair; casts new and enlightening insights onto the familiar story; and provides an evening of music theatre that rivals any in the […]
The anticipation that accompanies any new Ring Cycle is heightened when the producer is the Metropolitan Opera. That institution is highly esteemed for musical quality and high production values. It also has a reputation as a conservative house, with many of its productions set in a style reminiscent of the composer’s own time. With 28 […]
The Wagner Blog is a forum for discussion of contemporary themes arising from the works of Richard Wagner. Discussions relating to Wagner’s musical, literary, theatrical, philosophical, political and theoretic work are all appropriate for this forum.
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