The Ring, Part 4

We saw the final opera of the cycle, Götterdämmerung, yesterday, starting at 11 AM and finishing at 5 PM. This is perhaps my favorite of the cycle, mostly because of all the more traditional operatic intrigue (magic potions and betrayal!) and the variety of scenes, including a chorus for the first time in the cycle. I have come to the conclusion that I very much like LePage's production. The consistent presence of the "machine" (as it is being called) takes on a certain weight and meaning as the cycle develops. The unity of the four operas is emphasized by the various permutations of the machine's positions, and the enormous size of the whole thing matches the grandeur of Wagner's music at crucial times. The basic concept is quite traditional, dragons are dragons, and there are no Valhalla Corporation business suits, etc. The more literal stage effects, such as the collapsing statues at the end, are less successful, and, I can imagine, future incarnations would get rid of them. Some of the abstract light video projections are amazing in person, and feel right in the context of Wagner's esthetic.

The singers and orchestra were mostly good, but nothing of the vocal kind that are truly memorable. The orchestra, under yet another conductor on the last day of their season, was impressive as always, but a bit sloppier that it should have been.

The first time time I heard the Ring, I was impressed, but thought I would probably never want to hear it again. Now I would be more inclined to do it again, but not right away!

When the Ring was over, we said goodbye to David and friends, and went to buy tickets for Cole Porter's "Anything Goes", which we will take Ada to on Thursday night. (A Wagnerian antidote?) Then Vera and I sat in a NY version of a beer garden in Bryant Park, next to the NY Public Library, having a beer on a warm summer night. Then off to Soho for a dinner at a noisy but good French bistro. Then we met up with Ada and her friend, and her friend's parents, whom we know, for coffee. Then subway home after a long day.

I saw an interesting exhibit at the Japan Society of Art Deco art from Japan from 1920 to 1940. Very interesting, as you see Japanese artists adapting Western ideas, and in some cases, transforming them into something new and better. I had hoped for more photographs in the exhibit; it was mostly decorative art, and some wonderful posters and sheet music covers.