The Ring, part 3

Wednesday's performance was Siegfried, the "comic" opera of the cycle.   Comic, yes, because it does have some lighter moments, but mostly it is more of the same.  While I am still totally engrossed by what is going on, I do begin to wonder why it takes Wagner so long to do everything.  He will have a character recount in detail to another character everything that happened in a previous scene, which we of course have just heard.  I think they tell you not to do that in Playwriting 101.   But this is Wagner, so we tolerate his excesses, because of the sublime moments that are like nothing else in music.  The scene where Siegfried wakes up the sleeping Brunnhilde is one of those.

The woman sitting in front of us saw her first Ring in Vienna at age 7....and has seen many more since then.

The conductor last night was Derrick Inouye, from Vancouver, whom I know because he conducted the premiere of "The Fairie Queen" ballet in Vancouver 15 years ago.   The performance was mostly excellent, I think, with the occasional shaky moments.  

A picture..

I went to the Metropolitan Musuem today, and saw several exhibits, one of the Stein family collections.   Interesting from a historical point of view, but I find in general that exhibits organized around a collector are less stimulating than those focusing on a theme or artist.  The other was an exhibit of Chinese print making from the 8th Century to the 21st.   Yes, the 8th century; Buddhist scrolls found in a cave along the Silk Road.  It was very interesting to follow the evolution, right through Maoist woodcuts to contemporary takes on Chinese art.    Also got sidetracked by art from ancient Mesopotamia.

Ada arrives tonight!   She goes to Philadelphia tomorrow...