TELEVISION: Valhalla Without Gods

Even those whose knowledge of opera is confined to recognition of the Toreador Song cannot fail to know, before it’s over, that 1983 is the centenary of Richard Wagner’s death. At least they will know it if they watch television. Ho-jo-to-ho!

For starters there is Richard Burton’s nine-hour film of the composer’s life, which has been in the making since February. RW’s life was a continuous soap opera, so some additional romanticizing and sanitizing shouldn’t cause any problems. But the 13 hours of Wagner’s mighty Ring of the Nibelung, chopped up into a seven-part mini-series, may require some deep breathing to handle. Telecasts of the series on PBS will start in January and spread over several months.

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H. N. Kelley

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Even those whose knowledge of opera is confined to recognition of the Toreador Song cannot fail to know, before it’s over, that 1983 is the centenary of Richard Wagner’s death. At least they will know it if they watch television. Ho-jo-to-ho!

For starters there is Richard Burton’s nine-hour film of the composer’s life, which has been in the making since February. RW’s life was a continuous soap opera, so some additional romanticizing and sanitizing shouldn’t cause any problems. But the 13 hours of Wagner’s mighty Ring of the Nibelung, chopped up into a seven-part mini-series, may require some deep breathing to handle. Telecasts of the series on PBS will start in January and spread over several months.