One wonders what Wagner would have made of Henk de Vlieger’s brilliant adaptation of the music of his operatic cycle Der Ring Des Nibelung. There is nothing in music literature that approaches Wagner’s epic gesamkunstwerke, with its tales of love, the illusory nature of power and the ultimate fall of the gods, universal themes that resonate today.

De Vlieger’s The Ring, a Symphonic Adventure was commissioned in 1991 by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he is a percussionist. ASO conductor Mark Wigglesworth notes how De Vlieger’s version offers audiences daunted by Wagner’s 16-hour, four-opera cycle a gateway into it.

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra: The Ring. Photo © Jack Fenby

De Vlieger succinctly captures the essential elements of the operas’ plots by employing the leitmotifs Wagner created to identify the main characters and action. The Ring, a Symphonic Adventure comprises 14 elements, each named for their dramatic references, which are divided into four sections corresponding to the operas, but the music flows as a continuous whole in symphonic style. For audiences familiar with the operas, there will be vivid reminders of each of the scenes represented.

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