I am particularly grateful today to PBS and the Metropolitan Opera Company and for others like them (National Theater of England for example) for making performances available by television.
The last few nights I’ve been watching Wagner’s Ring Cycle on my local PBS channel. Thankfully without fund-raising interruptions, but this has its own problems re breaks. Not having had much experience with operas generally and Wagner specifically, I’ve also been doing research on the story and composer and history of it. I’d read much in the NYTimes about the latest production and the very high tech setting and was looking forward to seeing it.
It has blown me away on many many levels: the music, the story-line, the mythology, the “machine” upon which it’s all happening. Also amazing to me is the stamina needed both for the performers and the audience. The past two nights, the televised version has run from 9pm to 1:30am. Yes as in one in the morning! Breaks for the television audience are barely enough time for a bathroom break for the viewer and station ID for the station. I’m assuming that real life audiences get a longer break or two for each.
Today I was wondering how they schedule these – back to back nights? and here’s what I found: several cycles over two months with two or three nights in between each part. I’m providing a bit of a screenshot not only to show that but to give an idea of the cost involved to see this, even from the highest balcony:
So thank you, all the underwriters and PBS and the Met, for letting me view this from my own home. I appreciate it. A lot! Support these folks when you can!
