Union Avenue Opera's "Das Rheingold"

Bass-Baritone Kevin Misslich (Wotan)
Baritone Jordan Shanahan (Alberich)
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2012, All rights reserved.

Union Avenue Opera has begun its four-year odyssey of presenting Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in a production adapted and reduced by British composer Jonathan Dove. The first opera of the Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold, opens in less than two weeks.

A saga of monumental proportion replete with giants, gods, goddesses and a dragon, Das Rheingold opens in the waters of the river Rhine, where three Rhinemaidens guard the river’s magical gold. Enraged by their scorn, conniving dwarf Alberich steals enough of this precious metal to forge a ring that gives its bearer unimaginable power. Meanwhile, Wotan and Loge, two powerful gods, conspire to steal the gold as ransom for the goddess Freia who has been kidnapped by the giants. The ensuing struggle for possession of the ring sets in motion a course of events that will alter the order of the universe and set the stage for the subsequent three operas (Die Walküre, 2013; Siegfried, 2014; Götterdämmerung, 2015).

Set Under Construction
Photo © Patrick Huber, 2012, All rights reserved.

Cast and crew arrived in St. Louis last week to begin rehearsals. Expect to see and hear some familiar artists including Soprano Joy Boland as Freia, Bass-Baritone Todd von Felker as the giant Fasolt, Mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata as Fricka, Bass-Baritone Kevin Misslich as Wotan, Baritone Jordan Shanahan as the dwarf Alberich as well as several artists making their UAO debut. 

Set Under Construction
Photo © Patrick Huber, 2012, All rights reserved.

Making her UAO debut, stage director Karen Coe Miller promises a multi-media production of Das Rheingold utilizing several projections and lighting effects to evoke the opera's fantasy world. Set crews have been hard at work building Patrick Huber's multi-leveled set design.

Stay tuned to Operatic Saint Louis for so much more on UAO's Das Rheingold, including several educational opportunities and a reception to mingle with cast, crew and fellow operagoers. Also, don't forget to connect to Union Avenue Opera on Facebook and Twitter to play trivia for fun and prizes in the "Countdown to Wagner" leading up to Opening Night!

Das Rheingold opens August 17 and runs August 18, 24 and 25 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. All performance begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in German with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.