THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM 207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet 70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103 43.6667° N 70.2667° W Altitude: 10 feet below sea level Founded January 1970 Julian date: 2458579.35 2018-19: CXVIII "Off the rails..." THE DAILY ASTRONOMER Friday, April 5, 2019 Quiz XXV: The Ring Cycle To my darling Susan, _________________________________________ Hey, you crazy Opera fans! Do you want to see a live Opera at the Met without having to pay $164 - $2054 (for parking)? Cinemas in your area might very well offer HD Live: live broadcasts of operas performed at the Met. Find a cinema near you: www.metopera.org/season/in-cinemas ____________________________________________ Before the 14 hour long "Lord of the Rings" trilogy crashed onto Hollywood with a continent-cracking thud, there was the Ring Cycle: a series of ____ operas composed by _______________ in the ___th century. Based on Nordic mythology, these Ring Cycle operas involve the uneasy interaction between gods, dwarfs, giants, and, of course, hapless humans whose fate is beyond their control. (Not much changes.) If watched in succession, these thunderously powerful operas last almost 16 hours! It is little wonder that the composer required almost three decades to complete the cycle. Today, we celebrate the spirit and sorcery of the famous Ring Cycle.. 1. How many operas comprise the Ring Cycle? a. 3 b. 4 c. 5 d. 12 2. Who composed the Ring Cycle Operas? a. Wagner b. Beethoven c. Mozart d. Rossini 3. What is a "nibelung?" a. a giant b. a dwarf c. a ring d. a tree 4. Wotan was king of the gods. Who is his wife? a. Brunnhilde b. Fricka c. Froh d. Sieglinde 5. Which ONE of the following is not one of the Ring Cycle operas? a. Das Rheingold b. Die Nibelung c. Siegfried d. Gotterdammerung 6. Although it sounds a bit harsh, what does "Gotterdammerung" actually mean? a. "Twilight of the Gods" b. "Fairie Fire" c. "The Dwarf Wars" d. "Four Dragons" 7. In what century were the Ring Cycle operas composed? a. 19th b. 18th c. 17th d. 20th 8. When Brunnhilde was condemned to live as a mortal, Wotan forced her into a deep sleep until a man encountered her to take her as his wife. In order to ensure that Brunnhilde would not become a coward's wife, Wotan encircled her with what? a. fire b. four dragons c. flesh eating giants d. Butterflies (Nordic people feared them for whatever reason.) 9 Siegfried was the son of Siegmund and Sieglinde. Why did their union infuriate Fricka, goddess of marriage? a. because Siegmund was immortal and Sieglinde wasn't b. because they were brother and sister c. because Siemund was a dwarf and Sieglinde was a giant d. because Fricka condemned all marriages 10. Where was the Ring Cycle first performed in its entirety? a. Munich b. Berlin c. Bayreuth, Germany d. Reykjavik, Iceland ANSWERS 1. b. 4 2. a. Wagner 3. b. a dwarf 4. b. Fricka 5. b. Die Nibelung 6. a. "Twilight of the Gods" 7. a. 19th 8. a. fire 9. b. because they were brother and sister 10. c. Bayreuth, Germany At the Bayreuth Festival between August 13- 17, 1876.