Der Ring Des Nibelungen

Typically, artistic ventures are judged two ways: by the critical community and in the court of public opinion. But in the case of Richard Wagner's four-part "Der Ring des Nibelungen," attention must be paid to a third constituency: enthusiasts of the cycle. These opera-goers -- "Wagnerites" if you want to be kind, " 'Ring' nuts" if you're less charitable -- are not professional evaluators, yet they are likely to have seen more "Ring" productions than all but the most assiduous music critics.

Sunday, midnight, Los Angeles Ordinance No. 181069, which is meant to close down numerous medical marijuana dispensaries around town, went into effect. No police, however, needed summoning to the Music Center. Los Angeles Opera shooed away its regulars by 11. Nine days earlier, the company had begun dispensing a drug with the street name of the "Ring" (short for its pharmaceutical appellation, "Der Ring des Nibelungen"). This opiate, invented in the 19th century by one Richard Wagner, is not, strictly speaking, a chemical substance.

Seattle Opera plans a brand new production of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" for the 1989 season, said Speight Jenkins, general director of the Northwest company this week. Conducted by Hermann Michael, staged by Francois Rochaix, with sets designed by Jean-Claude Maret and lighting by Joan Sullivan, this "Meistersinger" will have Roger Roloff as Hans Sachs, Helen Donath as Eva, Ben Heppner as Walther and Julian Patrick as Beckmesser.

Dr. Sherwin Sloan retired early as an ophthalmologist to pursue an obsession that bestowed another title on him — leader of the Ringheads, a nickname for devoted followers of Richard Wagner's four- opera cycle known as "The Ring." After watching the Seattle Opera present it in 1975, Sloan eventually experienced all 15 hours of the musical drama 90 times. Back in Los Angeles as a fledgling "Ring" fanatic, he listened to it so much that his teenage children gave him an ultimatum, he told The Times in 2003: They said, "It's either 'The Ring' or us, and I said I'll help you pack.

Dr. Sherwin Sloan retired early as an ophthalmologist to pursue an obsession that bestowed another title on him — leader of the Ringheads, a nickname for devoted followers of Richard Wagner's four- opera cycle known as "The Ring." After watching the Seattle Opera present it in 1975, Sloan eventually experienced all 15 hours of the musical drama 90 times. Back in Los Angeles as a fledgling "Ring" fanatic, he listened to it so much that his teenage children gave him an ultimatum, he told The Times in 2003: They said, "It's either 'The Ring' or us, and I said I'll help you pack.

Deutsche Oper Berlin's production of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is a long, loud, bumpy but often revelatory subway ride. The company from West Berlin is now at the Kennedy Center under the joint sponsorship of the Federal Republic of Germany, the West Berlin government, and several German banks and corporations to celebrate the republic's 40th anniversary. The second of the two scheduled "Ring" cycles (four operas in each cycle) began Sunday, and the event has drawn Wagner enthusiasts from all over the country and beyond.

Sunday, midnight, Los Angeles Ordinance No. 181069, which is meant to close down numerous medical marijuana dispensaries around town, went into effect. No police, however, needed summoning to the Music Center. Los Angeles Opera shooed away its regulars by 11. Nine days earlier, the company had begun dispensing a drug with the street name of the "Ring" (short for its pharmaceutical appellation, "Der Ring des Nibelungen"). This opiate, invented in the 19th century by one Richard Wagner, is not, strictly speaking, a chemical substance.

Brit­ish roots mu­sic band Mum­ford & Sons took the top hon­or for its album "Ba­bel" at the 55th Grammy Awards ce­re­mony Sunday. The night mostly dis­trib­uted hon­ors broadly to an ar­ray of young­er gen­er­a­tion acts in­clud­ing New York in­die trio Fun., Aus­trali­an elec­tron­ic pop artist Gotye, rap­per-R&B sing­er Frank Ocean and Ak­ron, Ohio, rock group the Black Keys. See the complete list of 2013 Grammy winners and nominees below. #story-body-text h2 { font-weight: bold !

I have just returned from Seattle, where I attended Seattle Opera's "Der Ring des Nibelungen." Musically it was fine, but the stage direction and the set and costume designs were disasters! In Seattle, we were told that set/costume designer Robert Israel would not be available for curtain calls because he is in Los Angeles working on Los Angeles Music Center Opera's production of Prokofiev's "The Fiery Angel." I had intended to pay my money to see this opera since it is a rarity, but with Israel designing I'll keep my money in my wallet.

Typically, artistic ventures are judged two ways: by the critical community and in the court of public opinion. But in the case of Richard Wagner's four-part "Der Ring des Nibelungen," attention must be paid to a third constituency: enthusiasts of the cycle. These opera-goers -- "Wagnerites" if you want to be kind, " 'Ring' nuts" if you're less charitable -- are not professional evaluators, yet they are likely to have seen more "Ring" productions than all but the most assiduous music critics.

Deutsche Oper Berlin's production of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is a long, loud, bumpy but often revelatory subway ride. The company from West Berlin is now at the Kennedy Center under the joint sponsorship of the Federal Republic of Germany, the West Berlin government, and several German banks and corporations to celebrate the republic's 40th anniversary. The second of the two scheduled "Ring" cycles (four operas in each cycle) began Sunday, and the event has drawn Wagner enthusiasts from all over the country and beyond.

Seattle Opera plans a brand new production of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" for the 1989 season, said Speight Jenkins, general director of the Northwest company this week. Conducted by Hermann Michael, staged by Francois Rochaix, with sets designed by Jean-Claude Maret and lighting by Joan Sullivan, this "Meistersinger" will have Roger Roloff as Hans Sachs, Helen Donath as Eva, Ben Heppner as Walther and Julian Patrick as Beckmesser.