Everything You Need To Know About TheRing CycleIn One Hilarious Talk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kzl6sMmkLw

Our favorite fantasy storey owe a huge debt to Norse mythology — specially Norwegian mythology as strain through Richard Wagner ’s Ring Cycle of operas . But how can you make signified of all the craziness ? Here is Anna Russell , a professional opera comic , to help oneself you class it out .

“ Opera comedian ” is one of those job titles that ’s sort of unique and yet at once recognizable in its awesomeness . Russell had a adept enough voice to babble out opera house professionally — although peradventure not enough to become a star . But alternatively , she pass away into funniness , using her vocalizing ability and her discriminating mental capacity to deconstruct opera house for even multitude who do n’t quite read the ins and out .

Above is the data track from her 1953 phonograph recording , “ The Anna Russell Album ? ” — the 21 - odd minutes for which she became most famed . She walk you through the Ring of the Nibelung , singing routine and pieces of it and translating as she go , although sometimes she note , “ I wo n’t translate that , because it does n’t think of anything . ” Most helpfully for insular New Yorkers , she puts everything in terms of NYC — the Rhine is the Hudson , there ’s the Holland Tunnel , and Wotan , the “ head god ” last on top of the Empire State Building . Also , the Valkyries are “ the noisy . ”

Russell spent the remainder of her career doing this routine about the Ring Cycle ( along with her helpful “ How to Write Your Own Gilbert & Sullivan Opera ” ) and here ’s a video of her doing it populate , as part of her “ First Farewell Concert ” :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN5dAQLYYrs

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