See Wagner's Entire 'Ring Cycle' at the Rave

This week, several special events are happening . Tonight, the Met kicks off a full week of Wagner's "Ring Cycle" with a documentary about the Met's "quest for the perfect Ring."

Wagner’s Dream  (120 min)
Mon, May 7, 2012 at 6:30pm
The stakes could not be higher as visionary director Robert Lepage, the world’s greatest singers and the Metropolitan Opera tackle Wagner’s "Ring cycle."  An intimate look at the enormous theatrical and musical challenges of staging opera’s most monumental work, the film chronicles the quest to fulfill Wagner’s dream of a perfect Ring.

Das Rheingold  (170 min)
Wed, May 9, 2012 at 6:30pm
Conceived by Wagner as a prologue to the Ring cycle, Das Rheingold sets forth the dramatic issues that play out in the three subsequent operas.  Gold from the depths of the Rhine River is stolen by the dwarf Alberich, who uses it to forge a ring that will give him unlimited power.  The theft sets in motion a course of events that will eventually alter the order of the universe. Bryn Terfel as Wotan, lord of the gods, heads the cast.

Die Walküre  (260 min)
Mon, May 14, 2012 at 6:30pm
This extraordinarily powerful work of theater focuses on some of the Ring’s most interesting characters at decisive moments of their lives: Wotan, whose violation of his own laws has jeopardized the gods’ rule; his twin offspring, Siegmund and Sieglinde, who are meant to save the gods, and, above all, his heroic Valkyrie daughter Brünnhilde, who makes a fateful decision that shatters her world.

Siegfried  (265 min)
Wed, May 16, 2012 at 6:30pm
Part three of the Ring follows the journey of Siegfried, son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, from naive fearless boy to supreme hero. With the re-forged sword of his father, he conquers magical obstacles to reach his prize, Brünnhilde. Jay Hunter Morris took over the title role, one of the most demanding in the repertoire, days before the production’s premiere and reprised his acclaimed portrayal in this live transmission the following week. Deborah Voigt is Brünnhilde and Bryn Terfel sings the Wanderer.

Götterdämmerung  (290 min)
Sat, May 19, 2012 at 12pm
The Ring cycle concludes with a cataclysmic climax of betrayal and loss as focus shifts from the realm of the gods to the power and ambition of human beings. It is left to Brünnhilde, in the legendary Immolation Scene, that brings the cycle to a close, to restore balance to the world. Deborah Voigt stars as Brünnhilde and Jay Hunter Morris is Siegfried—the star-crossed lovers doomed by fate.