Das Rheingold/photo by Monika Rittershaus
Following an enchanting “Magic Flute,” LA Opera unfurls “Das Rheingold,” the first of four operas in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (“Nibelung’s Ring”). Fantasy and adventure combine in a tale of a Nibelung dwarf who creates from the gold of the Rhine a magic ring that gives its bearer power over the world. Inspired by German and Scandinavian myths, Wagner’s 19th-century epic is filled with gods, warriors and giants – and may win over an admirer or two of JRR Tolkien. The Ring Cycle is an ambitious undertaking for any opera company, and LA Opera aims to impress with acclaimed German artist Achim Freyer on board to dazzle LA crowds with his direction and design. At a mere 2 hours 25 minutes, “Das Rheingold” is the shortest work in the Ring Cycle, which continues when LA Opera General Director Placido Domingo stars in “Die Walkure” in April.
Sat., Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Wed., Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 1; Thurs., March 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 8; Wed., March 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 15
Wed., Thurs., Sat. at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. at 2 p.m.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012, (213) 972-8001, www.laopera.com
If you want some help figuring out Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” before you go to the LA Opera production, get over to the Brand Library on Sat., Feb. 21, at 2 pm for a free talk by Jackie Johns of the Los Angeles Opera Speaker Bureau.
Glendale Public Library, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale 91201, (818) 548-2051, www.brandlibrary.org