The Ring Cycle

It’s time to share the news: just bought the tickets for The Ring Cycle, starting April 26. There’ll be operatic histrionics! Horned helmets! Norse mythology! Mead! Success! Setbacks! And maybe a bit of singing.

If you didn’t know; this is a seriously monumental work. It’s so big it took several decades to complete. It’s so long it can’t be seen in a single day - it’s split up and it’ll take 12 days from start to the finish.

The Ring itself has its foundations deeply embedded in actual Norse history. Traces of the old Norse mythology are clear … such as the “Völsunga saga” which was written in Iceland a thousand years ago. It tells of a powerful ring, wrought by the finest craftsmen, which eventually brought ruin to them all. The version I’m going to is less brutal - and ought to end better…

One thing it’s known for is the scenery, and it promises to be truly epic. The Ring’s path runs through steep and icy mountain peaks, a fitting place for Valhalla. Around the volcanic fires of Logi, the Norse god of fire. Wild valleys of wood and rock, where water-Nixies might live. Rocky mountain passes. Caves. Rainbows! Crumbling divine fortresses. And finally back to the pristine, mighty river where it all started.

Which all sounds lovely. But while it’s monumental and inspiring, it is also a bit of a marathon. Sitting on the same seat for hours on end will wear you down eventually. Doing that while enduring a howling gale-strength Wagnerian battering, at high volume from all directions all the time without letup, will challenge anyone’s endurance. But that’s all part of the experience. I can’t wait!