Whenever the Ring is staged in its entirety, it becomes a major international event—particularly at a world-renowned opera house such as the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden. From September 27 to October 12, two complete Ring Cycles directed by Christian Thielemann were presented in revival, with few cast changes from 2022. The Staatsoper closed for renovations in 2010, and the reopening didn’t occur until[...]

Bryan Gilliam
January 2025

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), under the music directorship of Fabio Luisi, performed Der Ring des Nibelungen between October 13 and 20, 2024. The closer one is able to hear […]

This is a Wagner newsletter, and I am writing about Strauss, but there is an important Wagner connection to Ariadne, perhaps less a connection than a push-back. Hofmannsthal and Strauss […]