Amazing new set for TMO's production of Wagner's "Ring" cycle (opera)

[Bob Pr.]

A stunning new set for Wagner's "Ring" cycle cost about $16 million to build; it was widely seen last Saturday in the simulcast of a live Metropolitan Opera performance of "Das Rheingold" in NYC plus also seen in HD TV in movie theaters in 40+ countries (about 1600 theaters in the USA) plus heard worldwide on radio. In Topeka (KS), the 3 hr. movie-TV show started at 12 noon (that's 1 PM NYC time, 10 AM Pacific time). Movie theater tickets for the show here were about $25/adult.

I'm not a big fan of opera (Menotti's "Amahl & the..." and a few others excepted) nor of Wagner (except for his "Sigfried Idyll" & a few others).

But I'd seen several recent articles about the new set for Wagner's "Ring" cycle so, when I saw it was playing locally last Saturday, I impulsively decided to see for myself.

WOW!!! Impressive!! It was money well spent (and I didn't even care that much for the music).

Costumes and some props were traditional. But the background, the platforms on which much of the performance took place, the stairs they traversed, the screens on which various textures, images (fire, water, gold pebbles, etc.) were projected were all composed of 24 massive moving, morphing, elevating shapes.

ETA: Link to NYTimes article deleted since membership is now required to view it.

This morphing set was so fascinating (IMO, even more so than computer generated special effects in films such as "Avatar") that I'll probably see more performances of the Ring cycle when they're simulcast.

More news stories about the set:

'Ring' Cycle To Debut At Metropolitan Opera With High-Tech 'Das Rheingold'

The Metropolitan Opera's production of Wagner's 'Das Rheingold' will introduce mass audience to 'Ring' cycle | cleveland.com (This link has good pix)