Wagner and Wotan

My first "Ring" opera: Die Walküre.

Wonderful, traditional production conducted by James Levine with Placido Domingo as Siegmund and James Merrill as Wotan. Domingo was fine, yet Merrill has the far bigger role as the God who is trapped by his own machinations to retrieve the Ring. But typical Wagner: Three acts, each over an hour, with half-hour intermissions make for a five-hour evening. Thank goodness they started at 6:30pm!

Wagner famously created the "whole theater" experience with his Ring Cycle - it premiered in 1876 and was the first to dim lights during the performance and also to put the orchestra in a pit, out of sight of the action. This must have been mesmerizing on opening night.

He also wrote out detailed instructions for sets, costumes, and even stage directions. Apparently, those details are important, for each characters' entrance is sharply denoted in the score with even their footsteps to cross the stage rooted in particular chords or motifs. At times, to those new to the experience, this can be excruciating: Come on Brunhilde, get a move on!

Nevertheless, the drama is essentially a series of dialogs and debates that move the action along. Note these are not duets; the music and words are closer to a recitative than song. Most of these dialogs were compelling, as when Fricka vehemently argues her husband Wotan out of his corrupt plans.

Have to admit though that by the end, when daughter Brunhilde and her Father settled in to another he-said/she-said for another 20 minutes, I did begin to glaze over. Still and all a great experience.