The Sights and Tastes of San Francisco's Ring Cycle

By Truman C. Wang
7/2/2018

The 'Gold Rush of 2018' for the Nibelung treasure reached a feverish pitch on June 12, when the first of three Ring Cycles opened at the War Memorial Opera House.  There can be no doubt San Francisco is a great Wagner town, a golden gateway for the finest Wagner singers of the last century and today.  The 2018 "Ring" sees a new and improved 2011 production by Francesca Zambello, featuring state-of-the-art video projections. 

One can literally feel the palpable excitement in the air in the long ticket lines and crowded foyer...

Meanwhile, the standees have staked out their places and hunkered down for the long evening...

And members of the press and Classical Voice reviewer are getting their energy shots and photo-ops...

I’ve got a feeling Wagner himself, perpetually in debt, would have approved these lucrative "Ring" merch...

...As well as these hugely expensive but scrumptious "Ring" macarons by Chantal Guillon Patisserie:

And now, let the show begin!