Lords of the Ring Cycle

Last night Seattlest sat through two and three-quarter hours of opera. In a row. That is, without intermission. (And we enjoyed ourselves, but we’re just, you know, trying to gear up for more.) Last night’s opera, Das Rheingold, sets the scene for the rest of the cycle, and introduces opera-goers to about half the cast. Read a synopsis here (or, in 20 words or less: renounced love, stolen gold, magical ring, angry giants, dying gods, re-stolen gold, curses, death, dire warnings, Valhalla).

Frankly, we’ve never heard a better collection of singers on Seattle Opera’s stage than we did last night (we’re a little picky). Everyone was in top voice, and made a lasting impression on us; considering we’ve often considered ourselves lukewarm Wagner fans, this is quite an achievement. Most notable were Ewa Podleś as Erda, Greer Grimsley as Wotan, Stephanie Blythe as Fricka and Marie Plette as Freia. But everyone was wonderful, really.

Seattle Opera is internationally known for their production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and for good reason. The first scene of Das Rheingold has had everyone talking since SO produced it in 2000. In this scene, according to Wagner's stage direction, the Rhinemaidens are supposed to be swimming. To produce this effect, the three maidens are strapped into harnesses suspended from the opera house ceiling, and maneuvered through the air as they flip head over feet. (Seattlest was especially interested in this piece that appeared on KUOW last Friday, all about the challenges of singing in a harness.) Aside from the maidens “swimming” through the air, the stage was lit fantastically and really did look like it was under water.

Not only was the stage at McCaw Hall transformed into a sparkling, blue-green river, it was also transformed into a forest. Huge trees and an entire “floor” of moss-covered rocks created an interesting landscape for the singers. And when the story went underground, to the gold mines, the stage was scarcely lit and hung with (to our best guess) black scrims, slashed so a gold/pink light could shimmer through. It was effective and evocotive. One character also disappears from the stage at one point, a nifty trick of lighting and undetectable stage exits.

Tonight we’re looking forward to four and a half hours of singin’ – but this time, with two intermissions. We’ll also be introduced to Brünnhilde for the first time – that “fat lady” of legend and cliché. We’ll let you know how it goes.