[this is from a former now defunct blog – i wrote this the week after the MET ended its last season]

The RING (as it is called by afficionados) is the opera tetralogy written by Richard Wagner and put on only with great expense and exhertion by a major opera company. there are many websites devoted to more explanation about this cycle. suffice it to say that attending a RING cycle brings one in close proximity with a rare type of opera fan – the very devoted one. These operas are a marathon event = the first one is 2.5 hours with no break and the next three are almost 6 hours with two breaks each night. you see people with picnics outside and sandwiches and thermoses inside – myself, i had sandwiches and caffeine to sustain me. you would think that sitting and listening wouldn’t be tiring – but after working and hurrying to get to the opera house by a 6 am curtain, it does take a toll by the end of the week. the operas were on Mon, Tue, Thu and Sat – by the last night, you feel a camaraderie with all around you – for stamina much less with glorious music as well! and it was glorious – the met opera orchestra played their hearts out – there were two not very complementary articles about the conductor, James Levine, over the weekend prior to the opening of this last Cycle and at the end of the first night, we all leapt to our feet and screamed for the orchestra and Maestro Levine – he was really taken aback at his reception for his solo bow. the last night of the cycle was the last night of the entire SEASON as well.

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since then i have listened to the 2004 Bayreuth RING Live from Bayreuth (thanks to web casting!) and the Rattle Debut performance of DAS RHEINGOLD at the BBC PROMS (in fact re-listening to it now) — its an incredible performance – it was done in concert version – here’s the cast list from BBC PROMS

Wagner Das Rheingold (concert performance; sung in German (150 mins)
Willard W. White Wotan
Kim Begley Loge
James Rutherford Donner
Timothy Robinson Froh
Yvonne Naef Fricka
Geraldine McGreevy Freia
Anna Larsson Erda
Oleg Bryjak Alberich
Robin Leggate Mime
Peter Rose Fasolt
Robert Lloyd Fafner
Kate Royal Woglinde
Karen England Wellgunde
Christine Rice Flosshilde
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Simon Rattle conductor

“Sir Simon Rattle and the OAE launch the first ever Ring cycle at the Proms – to be shared between different teams of performers over the next four years – with the first modern performance of a Wagner opera on period instruments. “

I have listened about a dozen times since then and its an incredible performance – i can only imagine how it sounded in the Royal Albert Hall – having never been there either its a stretch – i’ve just seen it in movies like the Hitchcock TMWKTM. anyway, it would be an experience to hear all of them – one each year. going to LONDON and going to Bayreuth for THE RING are two things on my list of Things To Do Before Its Too Late (TTDOBITL). and there are several others. well, the gods are about to ascend up to Valhalla… a fitting end to a day.