Step into 'The Ring' and get ready to rumble

Readers of Culture Monster know that if you've seen the first installment of Achim Freyer's staging of the "Ring" cycle at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, you definitely have an opinion about it. Don't believe us? Look at the comments here.

Speaking for the thumbs-down majority, various posts from readers have described "Das Rheingold" as "incomprehensible, pretentious, idiotic, undramatic"; something akin to a "Monty Python scene"; "Eddie Murphy playing Gumby comes to mind, and this is Wotan, the top God"; or the succinct "lame." On the thumbs-up side, one reader wrote: "Are they still using horned helmets in Seattle? Is that really what you want to see in 2009? Good grief people!"

However you spin "The Ring," there's one group of opera-goers who feel particularly passionate: the "Wagnerites," a.k.a. " 'Ring' nuts," a.k.a. those who travel from one production to the next, rooting for Wagner's works no matter how wildly envisioned.

In today's Arts & Books section, David Mermelstein takes a look at several Wagnerites, including Sherwin Sloan, a retired eye surgeon who has seen 87 "Ring" cycles and heads the Wagner Society of Southern California.

Read the full story here.

And keep checking Culture Monster for more reaction (or give us your own), considering the next installment of the Los Angeles Opera production, "Die Walküre," opens Saturday.

-- Scott Sandell

Above: Sherwin Sloan of the Wagner Society of Southern California. Credit: Christine Cotter/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Fan of Wagner's Works]

It is neither Conlon's nor Wagner's fault that the production was a disaster. Musically, the performance was excellent; the orchestra played exceptionally and most of the singers did very well also. The sole reason for the failure is Los Angeles Opera's choice of Achim Freyer as the designer and director of the production. This particular decision was made by Plácido Domingo. Domingo was familiar with Freyer's style and knew very well what kind of production he would get from Freyer; consider the two previous productions which Freyer has done for Los Angeles. I almost cannot blame Freyer for simply making what he feels is art; perhaps in some situations, it may actually work. It is Domingo who failed to recognize that Freyer's avant-garde methods would not complement Wagner's masterpiece, but rather eclispse it. In light of the numerous complaints regarding Los Angeles Opera's many failed productions over the past few years, it is important to remember who chooses them: general director Domingo. Unless the opera-goers of Los Angeles wish for more Freyer ring cycles and Wilson Madama Butterflies, Domingo’s mistakes must be made clear to him. At the performances of Die Walküre, Domingo will certainly take his standard curtain calls, expecting the usual enthusiastic applause of his infallible voice; however, I believe that this presents a perfect opportunity to show him that his decisions have not all been perfect and that Los Angeles Opera subscribers do not want any more of these hideous, art-destroying modern distortions which he has brought upon us. I suggest that audience members should boo him. He is a good enough singer to know that if he is booed, it is not because of his performance. Perhaps a widespread display of displeasure will convince him to reevaluate his choices. Opera (particularly those of Wagner) is, at its best, a magical experience; at its worst, it is simply depressing