The Ring of Fire

No, not a Johnny Cash post (although that perhaps is already overdue), but a Wagner reference. I read with interest that Radio 3 will be airing the ‘Ring Cycle’ in its entirity on Easter Monday. The entire cycle of operas, which took 28 years to write and normally is performed over 6 days, is going to be played back-to-back for 15 hours. Despite its length, Radio 3 said “Without doubt people will sit down and listen to it all the way through”, though frankly I’m not convinced. 15 hours?!?

It is undoubtedly a fete of composition, and one of the most impressive artifacts of music history. Yes stories form a continuous narrative, but like novels which were previously published as serials in newspapers of old, part of its effect was in the anticipation – the modern-day equivalent of waiting all day the the resolution of last nights’ cliffhanger on Coronation Street (for the record, I don’t watch soaps by the way!).

Still, for those avoiding long services in church, I present ‘The Ring’ by Mr Wagner.

I was actually taken more by a small side-portion of news from radio 3, who are commisioning new art works over the coming months. On the music side, such foreigners to Radio 3 as Franz Ferdinand and Belle and Sebastian have been approached to write not music, but poetry for Radio 3. I wait with interest.