But then–oh God–the RING CYCLE.
Eric is playing Alberich in The Met’s new production this fall, and the terror has set in again. His terror? No no – my terror. It was suggested at drinks after Eric’s Carnegie recital last April that, rather than me actually learning about The Ring, we film me trying to explain the bits and pieces I know like this:
You have received this e-mail because you are a registrant of Opera Conference 2010, a patron of Los Angeles Opera, an OPERA America member or work for a member company, or have purchased the course as a member of the general public.
Week One
The first lecture — “Entering the Ring” — will provide an overview of Wagner himself and the story of how he came to devise his unlikely epic. Also, you’ll hear Otto Schenk, legendary stage director, describe his experiences bringing the Ring to the stage at the Metropolitan Opera.
I am saved! And I love school! Click here to listen to the introduction from Opera America president Marc Scorca. Here are the rest of the lectures:
- Lecture Two (“The Ring and Its Ideas”) will introduce the characters of the Ring and the unique narrative Wagner evolved from mythic sources.
- Once we’ve covered the dramatic structure, we can move on to Wagner’s musical structure in Lecture Three (“Musical Overview”).
- Then we’ll be ready to plunge into the Ring‘s four operas: Das Rheingold (Lecture Four), Die Walküre (Lecture Five), Siegfried (Lecture Six), and Götterdämmerung (Lecture Seven).
We’ll consider both the unique qualities of each opera as well as how
it fits into the larger cycle. A key tool here will be musical samples
for illustration and “close reading” of particular scenes.- Finally, we’ll wrap up with a consideration of the “big picture” once again in Lecture Eight (“Making Sense of the Ring“) — this time through focusing on the history of Ring productions and how Wagner’s vision has been interpreted
OPERA America has also set up a discussion board for questions that may come up along the way, for example, “When do they get to Mordor?” Lest you think this online class is out of some kind of blue, OPERA America’s annual conference is taking place in LA this year to coincide with the new LA Opera production of The Ring, designed and directed by Achim Freyer and conducted by James Conlon.
Actually, OPERA America is doing a great job promoting their annual conference all around. I especially like this idea:
In response to member requests, six operas will be featured at the first-ever co-production speed dating event, taking place on Friday afternoon, June 11 at Opera Conference 2010. The six operas are:
Carmen
Aida
The Barber of Seville
Faust
Rigoletto
TurandotCo-Production Speed Dating will provide an opportunity for members to initiate discussions about potential co-productions of works from the standard repertoire. In a single two-hour session, you will be able to discuss any or all of the six operas. OPERA America staff and colleagues from the technical/production network will be on hand to facilitate and provide assistance.
Imagine that: a conference with an actual productive (ba-dum ching!) activity! Registration is here, and membership information is here.
Um…that online class about the Ring has three lectures before you hear any of the music?? Wow. If I were teaching a Ring class intended for people new to Wagner, I’d start with the Ride of Valkyries (with voices!!) and work backward, then forward.