Zurueck vom Ring!

As others have said: Quickest 18 hours of opera ever! I will now start returning your phone calls, getting my work done, doing my laundry, and generally returning to normal life. (That is, as soon as I get back from New York City.)

I certainly can't do justice to the experience with my poor descriptive capacities. Instead, I'll just give y'all a single telling anecdote: This afternoon, as I was eating a late lunch, I started reading through the programme. When I came to a passage in a performer's bio about how the work demonstrates the power of redemption through love, I began to tear up. (See! There's Romanticism in this cynical shell yet!)

Many thanks to bunj and Nuphy for sharing the delight, answering my stupid questions, and generally being my faithful companions. They made the experience twice what it would've been otherwise. My heart goes out to everyone involved in the production, tutti bravi, who put themselves through hell (or at least Nibelheim) for the sake of several hundred well-heeled opera buffs.

I'm going to be riding this kick for a while, so if you've been wanting me to do some research for you on mediaeval Germanic folklore and literature, this is your opportunity!