We’re beginning a new series from Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts with the downfall of the gods as it is set into motion on this week’s Sunday Opera (10/11 3:00 p.m.) with Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.”
If only the three Rhinemaidens Woglinde (Qin Kanru), Wellgunde (Xu Xiaoying), and Flosshilde (Zhang Yajie) hadn’t been so cruel to Alberich (Tomas Tomasson), he might not have stolen their gold and forged the ring which he later cursed, and if Wotan (Egils Silins) hadn’t been so greedy and stolen all of the gold stolen by Alberich - of course, Wotan had to get the gold to get Freia, the goddess of youth and beauty (Tanja Kuhn) and sister to his wife Fricka (Bettina Ranch), released from the clutches of the giants Fafner (Guan Zhijing) and Fasolt (Andrea Silvestrelli) who took her in payment for the elaborate castle they built for Wotan for which he never paid, and now, the gods are all quickly aging as a result. However, they were, Alberich did, Wotan was and did, and that’s why this whole epic happens.
Oh, and then, some other things happen…
Other members of the cast include Christian Franz as the demi-god of fire Loge, Niu Shasha as the earth goddess Erda, Robert Bork as Wotan’s brother Donner who is the god of thunder, Wang Chuan as Froh, the god of spring and sunshine, and Arnold Bezuyen as Mime, Alberich’s brother who forges the ring.
The NCPA Orchestra and Chorus are conducted by Lu Jia.
The opera is performed as written: in one act.
We’ll focus on mermaids after the opera with two pieces. The first is a symphonic study by Alexander von Zemlinsky based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid” entitled Die Seejungfrau in a recording of the critical edition featuring John Storgards leading the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Our final piece will be a cantata by a long-forgotten 18th century singer/composer Thomas-Louis Bourgeois based on “The Odessey” entitle Les Sirenes featuring soprano Carolyn Sampson with Le Concert Lorrain.
