THE NEW WAGNERIANS, 2013

In the spring of 2013, during the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, I decided to make an investigation to see if, in fact, there is a “new” generation of devoted listeners to Richard Wagner’s operas, The Ring Cycle. The Metropolitan Opera’s, production of “Der Ring Des Nibelungen”, was the perfect location for my research. Sitting for seventeen and half hours in total for four operas! That is almost the equivalent of seven full feature movies! Opera critics have said that most audiences are made up of gray-haired and 65+ year-olds. Is opera on its way out? During the intermissions I would stalk the interiors and exteriors to find my subjects, who had to be under 30 years of age. In my investigation, I was very happy to find that there IS a new generation of listeners- and perhaps social media users may find the names of Siegfried, Fricka, Wotan and Sieglinde being shared in tweets and posts. The discovery of the Rhine carries on with it's powerful music and substance. Opera is- reborn!

Frank Schramm, 2013