In the October 2000 issue of The New Criterion, I reviewed the first two operas of the Seattle Opera’s new Ring cycle. This year saw the completion of the tetralogy with three complete cycles, of which I saw the first (August 5–10). The positive qualities of Seattle’s “realistic” take on the Ring that I noted previously shined through in the final two operas; the cycle as a whole is one of the most cohesive and coherent, as well as imaginative and dramatically persuasive, that I have seen.

As is by now obvious, the sheer number of productions of Wagner’s Ring cycle has led directors and designers to feature ever more outré “conceptions” that become ever more tangential to the spirit—much less the letter—of Wagner’s creation. The “conceptionless” productions, however, do not always fare much better. The Metropolitan Opera’s attempt at a realis ...

This article is available to subscribers and for individual purchase