Joe Queenan's Ring Cycle A-Z
Sep. 14th, 2007 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khiemtranOverture
Unlike most operas, the Ring cycle does not have an overture. Instead, it starts with a three-hour explanatory opera (Das Rheingold), followed by a four-hour explanatory opera (Die Walküre) that was written many years later. Things don't click into high gear until Episode III (Siegfried) when the major character finally shows up. By the time audience members get to Episode IV (Götterdämmerung), they may no longer be able to remember whether Fafner killed Fasolt or Fricka betrayed Freia or why Wotan is pretending to be both Walse and the Wanderer. All things considered, an overture probably wouldn't have helped.
The rest here...
Unlike most operas, the Ring cycle does not have an overture. Instead, it starts with a three-hour explanatory opera (Das Rheingold), followed by a four-hour explanatory opera (Die Walküre) that was written many years later. Things don't click into high gear until Episode III (Siegfried) when the major character finally shows up. By the time audience members get to Episode IV (Götterdämmerung), they may no longer be able to remember whether Fafner killed Fasolt or Fricka betrayed Freia or why Wotan is pretending to be both Walse and the Wanderer. All things considered, an overture probably wouldn't have helped.
The rest here...
