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10. Embracing the Epic. Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungs, that four-evening cycle of long operas about the founding of the modern world, has become a kind of Everest+K2 for opera directors, the ultimate test of skill. One talks about "the Chéreau Ring," or "the Lepage Ring," or "the Castorf Ring" as though they were separate entities—which in effect they are, each with its own look and philosophy.

The challenge of staging the Ring has two components that are often in opposition. One is to respond to the epic scale and mythic resonance of a score that is very much an organic unit, shifting shape and gaining depth even as you listen. The other is to find ways of taking a story born of a particular time and culture—Germany in the 19th Century—and making it relevant to modern audiences.

It is obviously impossible to cover the entire work in a 75-minute class, so we shall take three celebrated passages—the "Ride of the Valkyries" in the second opera, Die Walküre; the opening of the first one, Das Rheingold; and the very end of the last one, Götterdämmerung—to see how they have been handled by some of the leading directors of our day.

I can suggest four ways of familiarizing yourself with the story in advance. The Handout probably tells you all you actually need. If you want a more complete context, see my profusely-illustrated nine-page summary of the entire cycle, What's the Ring? Or you might try my four-paragraph video summary of the four operas, with pictures and music. Alternatively, since almost all my examples come from the first two operas, you could look at the narrated video summary of the story-to-date Previously on the Ring, made in conjunction with the current production in London—only be aware that the staging by Barrie Kosky is not exactly the plain-vanilla approach. rb.

 
The script, videos, and images will be posted immediately after class.
 

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VIDEO LINKS

There is an enormous amount of Ring material on YouTube, so I have had to be quite selective. I started to add links to videos of the complete operas, but then realized that those who wanted them could seek them out for themselves. So instead I have focused on the items shown in class, or near alternatives where those were not available, plus a few interesting extras marked with *asterisks.

I have almost everything I played for Das Rheingold, in some cases as the opening of complete productions. I added the beginning of the 1976 Centennial production at Bayreuth because it is so iconic, and the first time (I think) that any director tied the action to the industrial world of the late 19th century. The big lack are clips from the Copenhagen Ring, but see further below. Had I had time, I would have included the section of the outstanding backstage documentary Wagner's Dream that deals with the opening scene of the opera, but I can at least recommend it now.

For the Ride of the Valkyries, I have everything except for the Harry Kupfer production from Bayreuth (the one with the descending staircase). I don't have the exact clip from the 2020 Chicago production either, but there is probably enough in the more general trailer that I do have to remind you. The rooftop cocktail party is is the only scene in the Copenhagen Ring available as a standalone; but see further below. The three additions are recent German productions that ring still further variations on what we have already seen.

The last section of the class, "How it Ends," was illustrated entirely from the Copenhagen Ring, which is not available online except for The Ride of the Valkyries. However, the 3-minute trailer includes the first scene with the gold, and two sections of the final scene. I have never regretted buying the complete 7-DVD set; it is expensive, but can be bought used for under $70 on Amazon. Since that final scene is the goal to which all Rings are headed, I include the complete scene from four of the other productions mentioned today; all but one have titles. The one that doesn't. Harry Kupfer's 1992 production in Bayreuth, ends in an especially interesting way, a sort of cross between the Chéreau and the Holten, but entirely its own thing; do watch at least the last 4 minutes.

The pre-class website included the video synopsis, "Previously on the Ring," made in connection with the current production at the Royal Opera House, London, by Australian director Barrie Kosky. So that you can see more of it, I have included a few more trailers and discussions. The final item is a recent New York Times article by Joshua Barone, is which he interviews Kosky and four other major directors working on Rings at this time, asking how they interpret the Gold; it is pretty much a summmary of all the issues we are examining in this present course. rb.

DAS RHEINGOLD
  Prologue   * Bayreuth 1976, Chéreau (centennial production)
* Met c. 1990, Schenk (complete, titles, but poor video)
* Met 2011, Lepage (complete opera)
* — Wagner's Dream (documentary about the above)
* Dalhalla 2013 (flooded quarry shown in title)
* Bayreuth 2016, Castorf (complete opera, no titles)
* My piano analysis of the opening
  Entry into Valhalla   * Met 1990, Schenk (great concept, poor video)
  Lepage production   * Various stills, introduced by Robert Lepage
* Trailer (last half is Entry of the Gods)
DIE WALKÜRE
  Ride of the Valkyries   * Tribute video used in title (clips from Xena, the Warrior Princess)
* Met 2010 (in 2019 revival)
* Copenhagen 2010
* Munich 2012 (with choreographic introduction!)
* Bayreuth 2016, Castorf (on a primitive oil rig)
* Chicago 2020 (production trailer)
* Weimar 2024 (Valkyrie bunkroom!)
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG
  Brünnhilde's Immolation   * Bayreuth 1976, Chéreau (Gwyneth Jones, titles)
* Met 1990, Schenk (Hildegard Behrens, titles, dark)
* Bayreuth 1992, Kupfer (Anne Evans, no titles)
* — last four minutes of the above (see note above)
* Met 2011, Lepage (Deborah Voigt, titles)
COPENHAGEN RING
  Various excerpts   * 3-minute trailer (Holten production, 2010)
* Ride of the Valkyries (as above, separate clip)
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
  Previously in the Ring   * Synopsis of first two operas
  Barrie Kosky on the production   * Barrie Kosky and Antonio Pappano
* Kosky explains Die Walküre
* 75-minute public presentation
  The meaning of the Gold   * NYT article, 2025 (Kosky and 4 other directors)
           
IMAGES
The thumbnails below cover the slides shown in class, though there may be a few small discrepancies.
Click the thumbnail to see a larger image.
Click on the right or left of the larger picture to go forward or back, or outside it to close.
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