The Ring cycle is Wagner’s triumphant realization of the ideal he called the “total art work,” combining music and drama with poetry, dance, painting, and even architecture. But it’s not just formal spectacle. The plot extends from the beginning of creation to the apocalyptic end of the world and centers on Wotan’s effort to secure the reign of the gods forever. Ultimately, he fails, and from this perspective, the Ring is tragic. But the heroic commitment of Wotan’s daughter Brunhilde to her beloved Siegfried at the conclusion affirms the possibility of redemption. The political and personal implications of the mythic narrative are therefore manifold, receiving unrivaled musical development in Wagner’s operatic presentation. Small wonder the Ring has been compared to The Divine Comedy, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the B Minor Mass.
Registration Opens Online: Monday, November 25, 2019 at 8AM (AZ Time)
