Bamberg and the Ring (1-2)

Bamberg is a small town, full of cobblestone roads that intertwine in a confusing manner and scaffolding. We started our visit in the cathedral, which was darkly lit and mostly made of stone. In the entryway was the memorial for the only pope buried north of the Alps. Several small golden and wooden altars lined the sides, and at the front was a large silver altar. The main feature of interest was the small dark staircase down to the tombs of the bishops.

Our next stop was the Residenz, which wasn’t quite as impressive as Ludwig II’s magnificent dwellings, but which still featured glorious tapestries and paintings. However, the main feature of interest was the large rose garden. 

Our big adventure of the day was the beginning of the Bayreuth Festival. Das Rheingold (2.5 hours long) is the beginning of the Ring Cycle, a four part opera by Wagner. It tells the story of Albrecht, a hideous gnome, who is told of the magical properties of the Rheingold by the Rheinmaidens, whom he is attempting to seduce. Upon failing, he renounces love, and thereupon receives the power to forge the gold into a ring and control the world. Meanwhile, the gods are waiting for Fasolt and Fafner the giants to finish their palace. The issue is that the giants have demanded Freia, the goddess of youth, as payment. This is a big deal not only because t

rade and barter shouldn’t include selling your family members, but because Freia is the only one who can grow the magical apples that keep the gods young. In despair, Wotan calls Loge, the god of fire, to help him locate a bunch of treasure they can trade Freia for. Loge directs Wotan to the land of the Nibelung, where Albrecht has become the supreme ruler. Loge and Wotan use Albrecht’s shape-shifting hat to capture him and force him to give up his treasure- including the ring and shape-shifting hat. However, Albrecht curses the ring and says it will consume and destroy everyone who owns it besides him. The gods ignore him and return, and the giants tell them that Freia can be exchanged for however much gold it takes to conceal her from view. The gods pile a bunch of gold on top of Freia, somehow not crushing her, until she is hidden. However, the giants refuse to give her up because one of her eyes is still visible. Everyone points out that Wotan is wearing the ring, but because of the curse, Wotan is reluctant to give it up. Erda (the Earth Mother) appears and knocks some sense into Wotan, who then gives the giants the ring. The giants fight, and Fafner kills his brother, taking the treasure and the ring. The gods are happy that Freia has been returned and they go into their new home.

While the voices were sublime, the staging was quite confusing- it was set in a small backwater town in Texas, and everyone was dressed like an extra in Grease or something. Most of the direction seemed to be centered on throwing patio furniture or hitting things. Everyone spent most of the runtime crammed in a window. There was a large screen that showed close ups, which is where I spent the majority of my time looking, as a large pillar blocked about 2/3s of the stage. The next day, we saw Die Walkure. I was actually glad that my view was almost completely obstructed today, since the staging appeared to feature a turkey cage, random shots of a woman eating cake on the screen, an off-stage fight scene, an oil rig, and an extremely distracting cast of dead people who came to life to prance in the background. However, the voices were for the most part absolutely stellar.