The Chicago Building Stage Ring

Early this year, The Building Stage, a theater company and performance space located in Chicago’s West Loop, undertook a version of The Ring with a rock band performing "original music by Kevin O'Donnel inspired by Wagner's themes". Its tag line was "not an opera - a play that rocks".

Attendees included Sandra & Larry and member Michael Barna from Milwaukee. They shared their thoughts on the production via email:

Hello:

Finally a few minutes to discuss The Ring. Let me preface my remarks by saying that I'm glad we made the trip to Chicago.

As to the play. Building Space is a great little company, and I admire their courage for taking on such a huge project. Did it work? Yes -- mostly. The problem for both Larry and me was Wotan -- Chris Pomery looked the part, but his voice was wrong. One does not put a young tenor in that role. Plus, Pomery suffers from the American problem of trying to be Shakespearean -- it's just not in the blood, and he confuses drama with volume. It's too bad, but if the core is weak, all the bells and whistels around the edges won't make up for it. Was Götterdämmerung the best segment because Wotan was not in it? Probably not entirely, but his absence helped.

Highlight: The Rhinemaidens and Woodbird(s). Fantastic idea and execution. It also points out -- as did the set in general -- that one can put on a great play (or opera, for that matter) without spending a fortune. I rarely mind stage hands taking over roles in plays unless they are supposed to be invisible and are not. I even got used to the stage hands in the Valencia Parsifal we saw recently on film. Here, however, it was mandatory, and they were integrated nicely -- even splitting the anvil was believable -- well, at least sensible. The use of various levels, doors, and imaginative lighting was very good. Also -- the shadow puppets -- good work. Even Friea as a doll demonstrated the size of Fafner and Fasolt. So simple yet effective.

I also liked the cuts (with one exception). I particularly like the decision to eliminate the Norns at the beginning of Götterdämmerung. It makes more dramatic sense to jump right into Siegfried's leaving Brünnhilde and then compress the scenes at Gibbichland. The one lapse was the confrontation between Wotan and Alberich in Siegfried. I believe this is one of two key moments in the entire work -- the other being Siegmund's interchange with Brünnhilde in Walküre which was, unfortunately, reduced. I spoke with Blake Montgomery during the last break, and he said they had kept the Wotan/Alberich segment in until very recently. Siegfried was running too long, and they needed to cut more out. His cutting decisions were based on leaving out any text that explained what had already happened or was about to happen and lengthy dialog between two characters. Well, OK. But, I argued -- and still believe -- that Wotan as licht-Alberich is essential to the Ring -- just as Brünnhilde's coming to realize that love is more powerful than heroism. Tightening the question scene between Wotan and Mime was no great loss. In fact, eliminating almost anything with Wotan in it, was an improvement -- except with Alberich.

Götterdämmerung was genuinely moving, but then it is the most inherently dramatic of the four operas. As the evening wore on, however, I found myself missing the music. It pointed up just how damn important all those snippets are that signal events, personalities, and emotions. I found myself silently humming the passages between the text. This should not be surprising -- after all, it IS (or WAS) an opera. But, I was surprised by just how much I missed things like that rainbow bridge and the "Heil der Sonne" or the opening chords to each opera.

Montgomery's decision to couch the language in Shakepearean terms was also effective (other than for Wotan). I liked the contrast between the "groundlings'" colloquialism set against the more formalistic language of the gods. One did not need a British accent to pull it off. Nick Vidal was very effective as Siegmund/Siegfried because he FELT and conveyed the characters' emotions. The final part of Walküre even made the music in my head sound right.

So, all in all, a good theatrical experience. It won't take place of the opera, but it wasn't intended to. It was an experiment that, generally, worked. However, it made Larry give up mulling over whether or not to purchase the text-only CD that recently came out (German only). From my perspective, that constitutes a success.

OK -- your turn.

Sandra

Hi Sandra,

I'm glad that your trip to Chicago was enjoyable and you found the production to have some merit. I was a bit concerned after viewing the opening weekend's performance and, like you, applaud the company for attempting quite an undertaking. I fully agree with your review.....it worked mostly.

By the end of the evening, I found myself wondering how this would play with another theatre company with perhaps more experienced actors. While I did enjoy the "freshness" of the cast (I did ask Montgomery if any of the cast had seen a Ring or knew of it.....mostly no on both counts) I found that the actors were a bit too "green". Wotan comes to mind especially. His young age wasn't so much the problem for me, but I didn't think he conveyed the weariness and complication of the action as best as he could. And as you mentioned, his vocal delivery was most distracting. I loved your comment about confusing drama with volume. Wonderful!

I did think that the production was very creative though. Loved the birds, and the Rhinemaidens.....great use of the space and the resources to make them swim/fly! And I rather enjoyed the creation of the giants and eventually the dragon. Pretty good for shadow puppets!

The most embarassing moment for me was the Hagen/Alberich scene in Götterdämmerung. The director had painted himself into a corner by casting the same actor for both of those parts. Unfortunately, the jumping on and off the chair was quite silly and distracted from the drama at that point in the story. Could it have been staged differently? Perhaps. Maybe Hagen sleeping in the chair, dreaming, and using his own taped voice for that of Alberich????? Hmmmmm, maybe in the next staging!

The "rock" band left me a bit cold as well. It did add some atmosphere at times, however, some infusion of blood was needed to combat the quasi-meditative, new age-y sound. I would have liked a little variation in instrumental sound. Most of the time it worked, but like you, I was wanting to hear something more but the end of the evening. (The drum solo went on far too long, in my opinion).

Ultimately, I was glad I went to see it. I had originally thought I might see it a second time, but after the first viewing I decided once was enough. Now, if it showed up at the Goodman, then perhaps that might be another story! Who knows? Maybe some other company may tackle it.

Regards,

Michael

Here's a link to the Building Stage's web page with a video of their interpretation:

http://www.buildingstage.com/blog/?cat=14

"Wagner the Mystic" by John J. Pohanka

From member Tom Arthur in Santa Fe comes a heads up on a book being offered by the DC Wagner Society, penned by one of their board members, John J Pohanka.

From the DC Society's web site:

"The overcoming of all unusual barriers between the individual and the Absolute is the great mystic achievement." --- William James

In this important new work, John Pohanka presents a innovative survey of the Wagner's aesthetic and philosophical development, within the historical context of mysticism. Articulately written, and comprehensively documented, both from Wagner's own writings, and from an authoritative host of western and eastern philosophers, poets and musicians, Pohanka has given us an invaluable insight into the question: Why does Wagner's music affect us like no other?

Wagner the Mystic is available from the Wagner Society of Washington DC. $19.95.

http://wagner-dc.org/?q=node/50

Cincinnati Meistersinger: Review

Several WCNC members and friends converged in southern Ohio last month for Cincinnati Operas' first-ever Wagner production, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg which was to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Cincinnati Opera.

This gutsy undertaking was to showcase Cincinnati native James Levine in a homecoming performance leading an all-star cast. However, Maestro Levine, who has been plagued with health issues, literally "backed out" in April (he had back surgery for a ruptured disc), as did James Morris, also for impending back surgery. One-by-one, all the principals cancelled. Disaster! The Cinci Opera admin department must have been swilling Maalox and downing Migraine-Strength Excedrin like crazy as they scrambled to find last-minute replacements. Here's Steve Charitan's report on how they pulled it off:

(photos by the author, who points our that the Cincinnati Music Hall (built in 1878) is one of the few places to hear a major 19th century work in a major 19th century setting)

A phoenix rose from the ashes this past week in Cincinnati's Music Hall. Those of us who have been anticipating this gala performance for the past 2 years watched as it began to unravel with Levine's cancellation in April followed by James Morris (Sachs), Hei Kyung Hong (Eva), Thomas Allen (Beckmesser), Richard Margison (Walter) as well as several other key singers. How many of these chronic cancellations were legitimate and how many were of the "dog ate my homework" variety only the beleagured directors of Cincinnati Opera know for sure. In a lecture at Music Hall sponsored by the Wagner Society of Ohio, Opera director Evans Mirageas commented that this casting crisis allowed him to know where every singer in the world capable of performing a role in Meistersinger was on the two Cincinnati performance days.

Aside from James Johnson who had impressed me mightily with his Berlin Sachs this past February, and Mr. Kettleson, a proven Beckmesser, the rest of the replacement cast seemed to take a little of the glitter off the gala. I could not have been more wrong. What this brave company pulled off under very adverse circumstances was one of the most effective and moving Meistersingers I've seen in many years' experience with this piece.

I will start with Mr. Johnson as I think his understanding of Sachs and the mature artistry he brought to the role must have been a rallying point for the diverse talents that had to come together in relatively short order. The voice itself may not be as refulgent as Morris or Weikel in their primes or as plush as Terfel's is now, but his clean, lean column of sound never waivered or lost character throughout a strenuous evening. Both monologues were sung and acted with deep feeling and he could light up the stage with a pure and generous Menschlichkeit. Despite his tall stature and lack of whiskers, he bore a passing resemblance to Wagner himself which added a subtle layer of authority to the cobbler's pronouncements on the interplay of music and poetry. The Saturday night audience roared its approval when he took his curtain call.

Having heard John Horton Murray in the past, I was prepared for an uneven performance as Walter. Act I with its two demanding solos must have been close to his "personal best," the voice strong and rich from top to bottom with a gorgeous legato flow to the music. By the final reiteration of the Prize song in Act 3 the voice grew husky and the pitch began to sag, but based on the majority of his work, indulgence should be given for overall achievement if not for stamina.

Two other "anchors" of the evening were Hans-Joachim Ketelsen as Beckmesser and Norbert Ernst as David. Both were well seasoned in their roles but familiarity never for a moment gave way to routine. Ernst looked the juvenile, but had enough heft in his voice to make you believe he would attain the rank of Meistersinger in his time. Unfortunately John Del Carlo's Kothner was audibly, if not visibly indisposed. Having seen him perform the part with honor in the past it would not be fair to judge him by his efforts in this performance other than to thank him for carrying on and not adding another "cancellation" to the list.

Twyla Robinson was a delightful surprise. My previous hearings of this voice involved inappropriate repertory - the soprano soloist in Verdi's Requiem, and Alice Ford in Falstaff. Despite those mis-steps she was a glorious Eva. The instrument is bright and forward which gives it dramatic thrust and it has a rapid vibrato which tempers those steely qualities with a warming glow. She managed to sound young and girlish while encompassing the intensity of “O Sachs! Mein Freund”. She then went on to deliver a serene and soaring contribution to the quintet. Despite a bulky frame she moved with complete freedom on stage erasing any barrier between singer and character.

John Keenan conducted with great sensitivity to his singers - at no point were the voices lost in the orchestral tide and the horns behaved beautifully - no disturbing "cracks" to take the listener out of the moment. The big choral pieces, augmented by voices from Cincinnati's famed May Festival Chorus proved that a "live" event can produce thrills impossible to capture even with the most sophisticated digital equipment.

Having seen Katarina's Meistersinger in Bayreuth I now approach this work with trepidation wondering if her idea of wheeling in a gurney piled with dirt during Beckmesser's "Prize Song" in Act 3 will catch on. As Beckmesser sings he begins clearing away the dirt and out pops a bald, naked man. There were reams of text in the program book explaining why Katarina finds things like this relevant. Cincinnati's director, Chris Alexander decided to eschew the verbiage and trust Wagner's ability to tell a story on its own terms.

Originally, the production was to be a new one set in Cincinnati's "Over the Rhine" district - a predominantly German neighborhood in the 19th century. Economics forced a cut back and the company ended up buying a traditional Schneider-Seimssen production from Düsseldorf. It was polished up and looked newly minted for the occasion.

The only tragedy here is that this finely honed group of artists had only two opportunities to perform together.

-Steve Charitan, Ohio

Reviews of the LA Ring...

(From the LA Opera web site - uncredited)

Love it or hate it - and the opinions are well and truly divided - the LA Ring was an ambitious undertaking. Begun with great hope, it ran afoul of the down economy and languished. It was under-attended and ended up $6 million in the hole. Was it a great concept poorly explained and promoted or tragic hubris on the scale of a Greek epic?

Following are some members reports and observations:

( Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Opera / September 22, 2009)

From Michael Barna in Milwaukee:

Reflections on Los Angeles Opera’s Ring Cycle

The end of the world has come and with it a sense of renewal. And so it is with the completion of the Los Angeles Opera company’s complete Ring Cycle. Much speculation and discussion has occurred since the first installment of Das Rheingold was unveiled approximately two years ago with many taking an “either/ or” side on whether they like or abhorred Achim Freyer’s new production. As successive installments were revealed, the gulf between those that liked and those that disliked Freyer’s concept seemed to grow ever wider, culminating in a boycott by some ardent Wagnerians of LA’s production. While I suspect that LA Opera’s decision to elongate the cycle from the usual six days to nine prohibited many from attending, I feel safe in saying that many also chose not to attend due to the controversial staging of Freyer’s production.

It is clear, however, that Freyer has created a unique Ring that will not soon be forgotten. Much like the recent film, "Avatar", in which James Cameron and his staff created an entire new world that included human-like creatures, plants, and animals that transported the viewer into a place we had never experienced before, Freyer has done exactly the same thing in his version of the Ring. Characters are not what we expect them to look like, scenery is not what we expect it to be, and even the interaction between characters (or lack thereof) is not what we expect. But never-the-less, Freyer creates a strong symbolic visual language that is hard to erase from one’s memory even after a month, or more, has passed since viewing the production. One is certain that Freyer’s production will most certainly be remembered in years to come much in the same way the Patrice Chereau’s production is today; controversial at the time, but regarded as an important landmark in production history years later.

This is not to say that everything in Freyer’s production worked, or was easily digested. One certainly was challenged by this staging; nothing was to be taken for granted, nor easily dismissed. Rheingold was a steep learning curve. It was full of an immense amount of inventive and creative visual language, but often these symbols were not immediately understood. It was not until the other operas in the cycle were viewed that this visual language became more clear. Whimsical elements such as the magnifying lenses that enlarged Fasolt and Fafner’s faces, the rainbow colored accordion held by Froh, and Donner’s airplane were easily identifiable, but the parade of characters later in the opera, such as a king rolling a golden Ring, a top hatted, spotted dog, the Charlie Brown-like character who removed his large head, and the prostitute-like figure remained more elusive. And often, many characters were shown with doubles that performed actions while the singer/character often remained stationary. Some of this became clearer later in the cycle, but patience was needed to offset feelings of frustration early on.

Challenging as it may be, it is this abundance of characters and scenery that become more distracting as the cycle progressed. By the end of Act III of Die Walküre, the stage was so littered with props (the Valkyries’ horse/bicycle contraptions that eventually became the fire surrounding Brünnhilde), that it detracted from the poignancy of the scene between Wotan and Brünnhilde as she was about to sink into her prolonged sleep, and many of the scenes in Götterdämmerung seemed so crowded with singers, actors, and other scenic elements that one hardly knew where to focus one’s attention. This created a conflict that seemed at odds with Wagner’s concept of the “total work of art.” Throughout much of the cycle the harmony between visual and aural seemed out of balance and not in proportion to each other. In many ways the music seemed to take second place to the production itself.

By contrast, Freyer’s production seemed to work best when things were simplified. There was a graceful elegance to Act I, scene I of Die Walküre. The action, played on the face of a clock-like surface, seemed to move easily between present and past time as a silent, Lycra clad figure moved the arm of the clock forward and backwards as indicated by the story. The use of track lanes simply, and effectively, conveyed the ideas that everyone in Siegfried was trying to beat out the others in order to obtain the all-powerful Ring, and the prologue of Götterdämmerung was staged in a restrained manner that suggested the eternal cosmos as the Norns moved about the stage while geometric figures of circles and triangles floated around and above them. In all of these scenes, one was able to “relax” which allowed more time to concentrate on the music rather than the visuals.

Freyer’s world is unabashedly visual and theatrical. One only has to look at the costumes of Alberich, Siegfried, and Hagen, to name a few, to recognize the comic book influences, and the deliberately “low-tech” approach to some of the other scenic elements (e.g., Grane) to feel that perhaps Freyer is “dumbing down” of one of the greatest works of art. But Freyer forces us to view the characters and other elements in the Ring in a totally new and different way; a way in which we will never confuse his Ring with any another’s; a way in which our “traditional” view of the Ring is challenged. The scenery and costumes may not be “pretty” but then again, Freyer’s concept of Wagner’s world is not pretty either. It’s a dark world that is full of illusions, greed and evil; a dark world that is equally represented on stage as mainly a single illuminated circle in an otherwise all black environment.

As devotees of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, we are accustomed to the huge demands placed on the singers, instrumentalists and the audience in presenting such a monumental work. In turn, Freyer places no less of a demand on us while viewing his production. Whatever one felt about Freyer’s production, one can not dismiss the idea he had a clear vision about his work, and much time and thought went into presenting a unique Ring cycle that will not soon be forgotten. Perhaps this was the best possible Ring Cycle for Los Angeles. Los Angeles is hardly a city steeped in tradition; it is constantly revitalizing itself with new trends, fashions, and style, and Freyer’s Ring was as untraditional as the city itself. It will be of interest to see if and when Freyer’s Ring will be produced again.

From Kris March in Vallejo:

I was in L.A. for 10 long days (the performance schedule was maddening) for the 1st Ring cycle, and then attended the SF Walküre Sunday June 13; what a difference in tone and approach! The L.A. staging was so confusing and cluttered than I lost my way (this could be chalked up to my mental limitations, however). For example, Fricka suddenly shows up on stage during Siegfried....(well, we shouldn't see her after the end of Act II in DW) so I spent a great deal of mental time and energy trying to figure out what she's doing on stage, what it means, will she sing, etc., while missing part of the opera. There are dancer-Wotans, singer-Wotans and Wotans who just stand around like large puppets; I was confused as to who was what when. I'm sure the artistic vision is quite avant-garde, but Siegfried looked like Bozo the Clown to me (well, okay, he is a bozo, but still....). I must say that James Conlon did a very fine job with the orchestra (and with the pre-opera talks), and that singing from Linda Watson, Graham Clark (as Mime) and Placido (of course) was first-rate. It also bothered me that the singers didn't touch each other or show physical emotion (versus the SF Walküre which was very touchy-feely). I'll be curious to see what others think as I'm probably not a good judge of this type of visualization; it seemed so out-of-focus to me.

Bill Elkins in Long Beach writes:

I did see the LA production of the Ring Cycle twice and I must take issue with the principal thrust of the reviews concerning its visual aspects. I have attended traditional stagings of the Ring in Vienna and the Met and must say that I found this production to be superb. Conlon and the LA Opera orchestra was very good, the singing ranged from adequate to outstanding (Linda Watson), but the real joy here was the staging. I was mesmerized by the beautiful lighting, stage props replete with Jungian symbolism and the adept manipulation of color and light that made this ring cycle a much more intellectually stimulating experience while retaining fine singing and storytelling. The third and final cycle started Friday and it is a real shame that this production is not being filmed for DVD, because the visual elements of this production are really remarkable. This production is not perfect, however, LA Opera made a big mistake spreading each cycle over 9 days, instead of the customary 6 days. This resulted in disappointing ticket sales. None of the 3 cycles was sold out, and cycle tickets had to be reduced significantly in an effort to bring more people in.

And David Marsten in Calistoga gets the last word:

The Ring in Los Angeles (their first ever!) had some striking imagery as one might expect from respected German artist Achim Freyer {who was designer, director, costume designer, and lighting director}.

The most effective touch was staging Siegfried as a kind of foot-race......with Siegfried himself a late entry ('running' against Alberich, Mime, and Wotan).

The Siegfried (John Trelevan) was inexhaustible vocally....but he also presented one of the strangest characterizations I have ever seen. This Siegfried was weird looking with odd hair - he looked like an escapee from a lunatic asylum. He was pathologically self-absorbed with utterly no interest in the motivation of others. One wonders why

Brünnhilde could conceivably take any interest in this monster (granted he is the result of an incestuous union)

Brünnhilde (Linda Watson) started Die Walküre with some pitch problems but soon found herself securely in the role. She was vocally vibrant throughout (although she and others in the cast complained about the steep rake of the stage). And Freyer had her endure some pretty strange stuff (i.e. the end of Siegfried more resembled the Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome).

Wotan (Vitalij Kowaljow) was a tremendously powerful Bass-Baritone - acted and sang with great potency, despite having to wear some rather silly costumes.

Graham Clark (Mime) and Richard Paul Fink (Alberich) have secured these roles in many halls and never disappoint. They managed to project their voices through clever full masks.

In Die Walküre Michelle DeYoung (who sang Fricka in Das Rheingold) graciously stepped in to sing Sieglinde while Ekaterina Semenchuk took over the role of Fricka masterfully.

The other outstanding vocal role was the Gunther (Alan Held) - sometimes a weaker voice is chosen to reflect his wimpy character.....but Held was heroic.

One especially fascinating touch was the depiction of Hagen (Eric Halverson) - he was personified as a dwarf, realized by Halverson carrying around a diminutive body like a ventriloquist's dummy, but using his own arms in the doll. Very cleverly devised and carried out, and hammering home the concept that Gunther's step-brother was fathered by a dwarf.

The final question might be made about the basic issue that has plagued this whole production. Granted when the company decided to launch the Ring, we were in better economic times.....but once launched, it was hard to stop. The figure of $34 million was spent on special effects (which one could argue did more to distract rather than instruct) and a less than expected sale of tickets could lead this company to a serious impasse.

I reflected that during this First Cycle, the Disney Corporation released a film "The Prince of Persia" to less than glowing reviews....and that film allegedly cost $200 million. Both the Los Angeles Opera and the Disney Corporation are in the entertainment business and both are taking great risks. I think General Director Placido Domingo should be praised for attempting this bold, striking and, at times, brilliant Ring. It does speak to our times.

And for more on the LA Ring...

Here's a YouTube video of an interview with Achim Freyer from 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GjEZw8kNY0

And a pithy Ring article on Huffington Post by Ivan Katz:

How Do You Lose $5,960,000 on an Opera?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ivan-katz-/how-do-you-lose-5960000-o_b_638092.html

Thanks to all who contributed. If anyone else has any comments or rebuttals, I'd love to post them. Send them to trish.wsnc@gmail.com or post them in the comments.

-Trish

Verna makes the news in China!

The intrepid, indefatiguable Verna Parino, former president and founding member of WSNC, recipient of Opera Volunteers International "Partners in Excellence" award for 29 years as preview chairman of the San Francisco Opera Guild, inveterate opera traveler and Ring-attendee extraordinaire made the news in a major Chinese newspaper a few days ago after they caught wind of the fact that a 93-year old woman was traveling all the way from San Francisco to Shanghai in order to attend her 58th Ring. The letter from the friend who sent it explains the headline:

Dear Verna
Please see attached newpaper of Jun. 26 Saturday of Xinmin Evening News, which is the among the oldest and biggest evening newspapers in China. Hope you enjoy it.

The title is "93 years lady longing for 58th cycles of The Ring in Shanghai". The article is based on your interview in Email and adapted by a famous Shanghai reporter Mr. Yang Jianguo.
Have a nice day.
Pan

Addendum:

Verna forwards a rough translation of the article:

The music drama “Wagner’s rings” , co-sponsors by Xinmin News and City Dancing Co., will be on staged in September in the Shanghai Grand Theatre for eight performance. Once announced, audiences bought and booked tickets enthusiastically. An 92 years old lady, Ms. Verna Parino, who had booked 4 performances of the music-drama and proposed her wish to visit the World Expo aroused the curiosity of the reporter in Xinmin News. The reporter interviewed her through internet and got her 3 pages reply immediately.

Ms. Verna Parino said she has watched 57 cycles of the Ring in 30 cities in 18 countries and she is going to watch her 58 cycles of the music-drama in Shanghai. Ms. Parino lives in San Francisco and was a medical worker. In 1930’s she listened the Ring radio broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera and the first time to attend the performance was in 1973 in San Francisco . From that performance on, she has been fond of music drama , especially the Rings. Since then, she has became member of the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Symphony . Also , she joined the Wagner Society of Northern California and became its president for three years . After her husband passed away, she has acted as an art volunteer. Because she is so fond of the “Rings” , besides writing comments of the Rings, she enjoys collecting worldly researches or information relating to that music drama . In Ms. Verna Parino reply letter, she also shared with us her happiness and challenges in attending the cycles and collecting information of the music drama.

She said everytime she watched the performance, she will be inspired and got something new for her to comprehend. She mentioned this music drama tells about the beginnings of the world, inner conflicts of human beings and the struggling and fighting for worldly power. The story simulates the audiences to explore the meaning of existence of human beings. The reason for her pursuing to attend the performance is the gorgeous orchestral music pouring out the beautiful feeling of human beings and providing her to enjoy in an excited state . For her, she has addicted to watch the “Rings” and her life and the Rings have already fused together. When she was told that the Rings will be performed in Shanghai at a meeting of the Wagner Society , she immediately decided to watch her 58 cycles and visited Shanghai again. She visited Shanghai in 1982 with a tour group and attended a concert. She recalled during the intermission, some audiences gathered round and looked at the musical instruments and some attendees searching dictionary to communicate and chat with her in English . After that , I got a copy of the recording broadcast from Kurt Herbert Adler, the General Directo of San Francisco Opera . When she listened the records, she also can hear her applause and “Bravo”.

Shanghai is a sister city of San Francisco. These years, she really wants to visit Shanghai again and watching the Rings provides her a good reason to visit Shanghai again. Members of the Wagner Society told her it’s worth for her to visit the World Expo if she be there. Recently, she has watched news about the Expo in the internet and found it’s very attractive and wonderful. Ms. Parino said that her health is not bad and long distance flight will not be a problem for her but may be a problem for her to walk too much . So, she will bring a wheelchair and will arrive Shanghai two days early .

Finally, she hopes her visit in Shanghai will be a wonderful and happy journey and she is happily looking forward for that.

(Verna points out that she was not a medical worker, although she did work for a period in the business office of the Mayo Clinic.)