What is “Legend of the Ring” without “Ride of the Valkyries”?
The audience for the recently staged production by West Edge Opera in Oakland, may have been disappointed by this omission, but the fact that we witnessed an amazing distillation of the epic explained it all.
Back by popular demand, Richard Wagner’s monumental four-opera epic of Norse mythology presented in a dynamic evening of inspired music.
Indeed, Gods and humans struggle for a magic ring that bestows the power to rule the planet.
This is arguably the biggest challenge that an opera company of any scale can undertake,
When this work was first mounted two decades ago, it was by Berkeley Opera.
Now known as West Edge, the company brought back the work in its season at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center.
The venue is located in a dodgy downtown neighborhood infamous today for routine crime and violence.
But this is Wagner. Violence is at the core of his most heroic work.
We were particularly impressed by the fight scenes. There are many stabbings, all of which are delicate dances of death.
Meanwhile, the orchestra in the pit was a fiendish scene of activity with the frenetic pace of this score ably conducted by Jonathan Khuner.
The set design by D’Vaughn Agu was rather drab.
What are we seeing here? The lobby of Bay Area airport hotel?
Still, Director Sam Helfrich’s production with contemporary fashion was mostly a hit.
Finally, there’s always the film, Apocalypse Now, to stream when we need the screaming maiden’s fix.