Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle has always been a touchstone as to whether an opera company can be considered in the big leagues. For many years in this country the Metropolitan Opera was one of the very few companies presenting the cycle, and it was not until recently that other companies have begun cycles of their own. These productions have coincided with a surprising popularity of the cycle itself, with performances in whatever locale becoming worldwide sales events, with Wagnerians trekking from the shrine at Bayreuth to Paris, London, San Francisco, Adelaide, or Helsinki. Rumor is that Los Angeles, which has never produced a cycle, will join the club, coincident with Placido Domingo’s taking over of the company.

The Seattle Opera Company~dashsurprisingly—has had a large hand in this phenomenon. Long before “RingMadness” set in, its General Director Glynn Ross, who adored the works, scheduled performances, raised money, and corralled audiences for them. For years he presented the cycle in Seattle (and even in Arizona when he became head of that company). Speight Jenkins succeeded Ross in Seattle, and he similarly loves the cycle. Early in his tenure, he gave the operas their second full production, which because of a severe anti-traditionalist stance was talked about in Seattle and around the country. He subsequently brought back the production, but it was evident that a fresh approach was needed. So, a year or two ago Jenkins began to raise the $10 million he said was needed to create a