Columbus Symphony: Wagner’s Ring at Ohio Theatre

The Columbus Symphony has long been one of the most beloved orchestras in the United States. Their extraordinary talent, passion, dedication, and commitment are unparalleled; their year-round performances are impeccable; and their collaborations and mentoring of young musicians are exemplary.

Musical director and conductor Rossen Milanov is highly regarded internationally, and audiences are guaranteed that any concert under his baton will be a great, most memorable experience.

The legendary music of Richard Wagner’s immense operatic Ring cycle, “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, has been masterfully reimagined for concert performance by American conductor, violinist, and composer Lorin Maazel, with the themes from the four-opera cycle expertly woven together. The cycle also contains some of the best-loved symphony-favorites, such as “Ride of the Valkyries” from “Die Walküre”, the “Forest Murmurs” from “Siegfried”, and “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” from “Götterdämmerung”.

“Der Ring des Nibelungen”– including “Das Rheingold”, “Die Walküre”, “Siegfried”, and “Götterdämmerung” – is loosely based upon characters from Germanic heroic legends, Norse legendary sagas, and the “Nibelungenlied”, an epic poem written around 1200. The cycle is complex, philosophical in nature, of incredible depth, and innovative in the handling of the orchestra. The music is based upon an intricate network of leitmotif-themes representing characters, objects, or feelings, meaning that the entire story of the Ring cycle is contained in the orchestral parts, making it ideal for a performance without the spectacle of opera. Thus, the reworked tetralogy is a pure instrumental feast of fantastic music!

From the opening notes, sketching the primeval, peaceful state of the world before everything began, with the gold lying undisturbed at the bottom of the Rhine, faithfully guarded by three Rhinemaidens; to the end, where the power of love emerges victorious over greed and the lust for dominance, leaving the world with hope for a new dawn, Wagner’s Ring will captivate, enchant, and mesmerize!

The charming 2,791-seat Ohio Theatre is, like Wagner’s Ring, a legend in itself. With its rich history of world-class entertainment and the ultimate in comfort, it is guaranteed that audiences are in for yet another evening of top-notch entertainment. With seating spread across four levels, there is a seat suitable for every taste and budget.