04.04.13 The Ring Thing | Turns 200 - WSJ.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Updated March 15, 2013, 9:39 a.m. ET The Ring Thing Germany marks Wagner's bicentenary with a wealth of

By A.J . G O LDMANN

If were alive today, he'd be turning 200 on May 22. From Düsseldorf to Dresden, Munich to Mannheim, this bicentennial season provides a rare chance to sample the wide variety of theatrical approaches his native Germany takes to one of its most influential and problematic artists.

With his 10 mature , including the four­opera Ring cycle, Wagner changed the course of theatrical history, enlarging the and developing the concept of the —an ideal synthesis of all the arts. His influence reaches far beyond the realm of opera, casting a spell on artists and writers as well as . Because of Wagner's anti­Semitism and popularity with Hitler and the Nazis, performance of his music remains unofficially banned in Israel to this day, and stagings of his works in Germany tend to be critical and deconstructive.

There are more than 100 German Wagner productions to savor this season. Here's our guide to five of the best.

BERLIN At the Berlin Staatsoper, innovative Belgian director Guy Cassiers's Ring cycle, begun two years ago, concludes with "Götterdammerung," and the company Monika Rittershaus will perform two full cycles in April. A co­production Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde) in with Milan's La Scala, this staging features sleek sets, 'Götterdämmerung' at the Berlin Staatsoper. otherworldly projections and inventive choreography. Daniel Barenboim, one of the leading Wagner interpreters, conducts an enviably star­studded cast. This will be the first complete cycle from Mr. Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle in more than a decade and is especially noteworthy for star bass René Pape's Wotan. April 4­21

MUNICH Not to be outdone, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Germany's largest house, will present Andreas Kriegenburg's visionary Ring in July. This meticulous staging of the entire cycle, premiered last season, is both grandly epic and refreshingly contemporary. Mr. Kriegenburg online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578348401704640228.html#printMode 1/3 04.04.13 The Ring Thing | Wagner Turns 200 - WSJ.com uses minimal sets and a large troupe of extras to accentuate the vast dimensions of the stage. The result is installation art that provides a captivating illustration to Wagner's score. Kent Nagano conducts a cast of Wagnerian A­listers, including Johan Reuter, Byrn Terfel, Katarina Dalayman, Stephen Gould and Nine Stemme. July 13­18

HAMBURG In Hamburg, the Hamburgische Staatsoper and chief conductor Simone Young will present a marathon run­ through of all of Wagner's 10 major operas. This three­ week Wagner odyssey is a great way to get to know the excellent Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, once led by Gustav Mahler. It is also something of a one­ stop destination for those who want to experience a variety of production styles. Highlights include Robert Oliver Fantitsch Wilson's striking production of "," Ruth Ausrine Stundyte (Kundry), Richard Decker (Parsifal) in 'Parsifal' at Theater Lübeck Berghaus's "" and Claus Guth's Ring. May 12­June 2

LÜBECK Roughly an hour from Hamburg is the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, where you can catch a gripping new production of "Parsifal," Wagner's final opera at the beautiful municipal theater. Director Anthony Pilavachi, who staged the company's excellent Ring cycle (available on DVD), has interpreted Wagner's religious allegory of purity and redemption as a flashback in the mind of a dying man grasping for spiritual peace. April 4, May 5

LEIPZIG The city of the 's birth, has been offering a healthy dose of Wagner all season, and will play host to the Richard Wagner Festival 2013, featuring a slew of operas, concerts and lectures in May. The main event is arguably Oper Leipzig's new production of Wagner's rarely heard first completed opera, "" ("The Fairies"), in a new production by French director Renaud Doucet. The tuneful score may lack the sophistication of Wagner's later works, but it shows the young composer's desire to move away from operas with clearly defined arias and recitatives to a style that fuses drama and music. "Die Feen," April 7, 20 and May 24. Richard Wagner Festival, May 16­26

Five Things You Need to Know About the Ring The Ring weighs in at roughly 17 hours. The single heftiest chunk is "Götterdämmerung," the grand finale, which runs to six hours.

Wagner took his time over the Ring—25 years from start to finish. This includes a 12­year hiatus between the second and third acts of "."

Wagner orchestrated the Ring for a number of new instruments, among them the Wagner , which combines aspects of a French and a tuba, and which was inspired by a visit he made to the Paris shop of , the inventor of the .

Mounting a complete Ring is perhaps the costliest and most artistically demanding undertaking for an opera company. Most opera houses will unveil new productions over several seasons.

While the cycle has been recorded many times, there is no one Ring to rule them all. Nonetheless, many Wagner aficionados consider Georg Solti's London/Decca recording from 1958­64 the finest all­round Ring. It has just been reissued in a deluxe remastered limited­ edition box set of 17 CDs (£215). online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578348401704640228.html#printMode 2/3 04.04.13 The Ring Thing | Wagner Turns 200 - WSJ.com Bayreuth's New High Priest The granddaddy of Wagner festivals is Bayreuth, in northern Bavaria, which the composer himself founded in 1876 as the ideal venue for his works. Frank Castorf, artistic director of Berlin's Volksbühne in former East Germany, is directing the festival's new Ring cycle. Mr. Castorf is known for his politically engaged, free interpretations of classic works. He has a reputation for demanding evenings filled with booming music, menace, unexpected—at times projectile—props and a willingness to test the endurance of performers and audiences alike.

There is a clause in Mr. Castorf's contract with Bayreuth stipulating that he cannot make any cuts or changes to the score; that aside, he apparently has free rein to apply his radical deconstructivist aesthetic to the tetralogy. Mr. Castorf has indicated his Ring will be a parable of the world­wide scramble for oil. July 25­Aug. 28

Corrections & Amplifications Ausrine Stundyte and Richard Decker are appearing in "Parsifal" at Theater Lübeck. In an earlier version of this story, a picture caption said they were appearing at the Hamburgische Staatsoper.

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