THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
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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!
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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.