Bühnenweihfestspielkrieg

The Germans have a word for everything except what La Cieca is about to propose, which is why she made up her own Mammutwort for, well, a contest having to do with stage productions, specifically those of Wagner music dramas. (The “consecration” is understood, you see.) The rules and what you can win, after the jump!

Your mission: to choose and to describe to your fellow cher pubes a favorite Wagner production. What La Cieca is looking for from you n the comments section below is an enthusiastic pitch explaining why this production, more than others, fulfills your standards of what a Wagner production should be.

Thus, part of the challenge will be for you to articulate your ideas of what a production is supposed to do, and then give us evidence that your favorite meets those criteria.

Naturally, the use of YouTube clips is encouraged, or, if you find still photos online of moments you want to illustrate, just include the URL of the photo in your comment and La Cieca will insert it in its proper place.

The competition will open immediately and will close at midnight on Friday, January 21. La Cieca’s decision as to the merits of the comments is final and (as you will guess) subject to whim. Impress me!

The author of the best comment will receive a complete eight-DVD set of Der Ring Des Nibelungen as staged by La Fura dels Baus at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía of Valencia, Zubin Mehta conducting: