Observations by Barbara CaseyI don’t think I am quite a Ring Head yet but, after surviving the first two shows, I think I may be falling under the spell. It starts with James Conlin whose knowledgeable and energetic lectures send you off to your seat in wild anticipation of the first notes. The music is mesmerizing with its familiar themes. The amazing artistry and technical wizardy that has sprung from Achim Freyer’s inventive imagination spans the gamut from absurd to breathtaking. But the bottom line is that the production compellingly demands your conscious involvement. There is no rest for the audience at this Ring. In fact, you don’t dare close your eyes to better inhale a beautiful bit of singing for fear of missing a minute of the action.
The Rhine Maidens lure you in as they do Alberich. And he steals the show as he steals the gold – at least until his brother Mime appears. The gods seem more human than the humans. There’s the lust for a McMansion whose payment drives the story and the lust for other women that causes enormous domestic friction while at the same time resulting in offspring like Brunnhilde who watches Wotan’s back and earthly heroes like Siegmund. Perhaps if you were married to a woman with arms as long as Fricka’s, you might seek more friendly arms to curl up in.
Of course, the lust for gold is paramount. Not only for wealth but for the power that the ring confers. Wotan reminds us all of how easy it is to covet our neighbors’ possessions and sacrifice principles for things. His impunity is enough to build sympathy for the giants who he doesn’t intend to pay for their hard work at building Valhalla.
With Loge’s help, Wotan is able to outfox Alberich and get control of the Ring and all the gold he has stolen from the Rhine Maidens’ stash. The little Nieblings hammering the gold led by Brother Mime must work unceasingly. I marveled at how long their arms continue to hammer in time with the music as the action proceeds around them. Wotan doesn’t keep the gold for long. Against all his desires, he is convinced to turn over the gold and Ring to the giants. Fortunate move by him since all does not end well for the big men. They are the first to fall prey to the curse that is Alberich’s revenge when he loses the Ring.
It’s slightly off putting to find yourself rooting for Siegmund and Sieglinde who are twins, separated at birth, as they fall in love and flee her abusive husband. It was most likely that the great singing by Placido Domingo and Michelle DeYoung carried us away. The giant clock keeps track of the action as it goes forward with the present and back with the past and keeps the tension going. How does that character that turns the clock keep the pace so exactly and stand so still when the clock is stopped?
Then comes the domestic battle between Wotan and Fricka; not surprisingly, she is against the incestuous relationship. And then the actual battle in which everyone wields a Star Wars light saber. In fact, much of this second show reminds me of Star Wars. Brunnhilde defies her father and tries to save Siegmund only to have Wotan fly in and leave no one standing. Brunnhilde flees with Sieglinde to save the child she is carrying which will be Siegfried.
When the Valkyries appear on their bicycle/horses and sing their famous aria, probably best known to most people as a theme from Apocalypse Now, it is an incredible spectacle. At the second intermission -- yes there were two; one for 45 minutes and one for 25 minutes -- while standing on the Dorothy Chandler balcony overlooking the plaza, a spectacle in itself with its lighted fountain and trees, I saw a lot of people lined up for their cars at the valet parking. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them as we returned to our seats and the curtain went up on the Valkyries. They missed such a fantastic scene as well as the ensuing father-daughter dialogue that I found most moving. Wotan was able to reach a very believable emotional place. It may have helped that he removed the Star Wars style head piece. You felt his love for Brunhilde, his grief facing separation from her and his desire to undo the punishment. Any parent can relate. But as much as we wished he would change his mind, he didn’t. He did relent somewhat by placing her in the ring of fire to ward off any but the most noble of heroes to win her.
Like Brunhilde, I am now anxiously awaiting Siegfried.
