Tonight and Saturday concludes the Houston Grand Operaâs performances of Das Rheingold, the opera thatâs the first of a four-part series known as The Ring Cycle.
The four operas, written by Richard Wagner in the 1800s, are such elaborate, lengthy productions â all four together consist of some 16 hours of music â that only a handful of opera companies in the U.S. have tried them. And now Houstonâs is among them. HGO is spreading the ring cycle out over four years, performing one each year through 2017.
The companyâs artistic director, Patrick Summers, recently spoke with Houston Public Mediaâs St. John Flynn and said taking on The Ring Cycle is risky, but HGO was ready for the challenge.
We also hear from one of the performers that will be featured in the first two operas of The Ring Cycle, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. Sheâs a rising star in the opera world after last year winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Barton spent several years in Houston as a part of the HGO Studio apprenticeship program. She talked with St. John Flynn about how winning the BBC competition has changed her life â and how playing the role of Fricka in Das Rheingold is something sheâs been dreaming of for years.
