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 […]
To many Wagnerians, Hans von Bülow is Cosima’s nervous husband. He’s the highly-strung fellow with the pointy beard, the one who transcribed Tristan while the composer schtupped his wife. Bülow, the one who straggled behind Wagner and Cosima in the cartoon. Bülow, who agreed to lie to Ludwig about Cosima’s illegitimate daughter Isolde’s parentage. […]
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 […]
In a few weeks I’ll be privileged to see Francesca Zambello’s “American Ring” in San Francisco. I have done my best to remain ignorant of the production in order to enjoy surprise after surprise. (Oscar Wilde warned that “ignorance is like a delicate, exotic fruit: Touch it and the bloom is gone.”) Yet I do […]
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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