Why is the orchestra pit covered? Doesn't it affect the sound?
Many opera aficionados are aware of the famous "invisible" orchestra pit at the Bayreuth Festival Theater, which was built expressly for the performances of Richard Wagner's operas in a small Bavarian city. The theater in Bayreuth features an orchestra pit sunken underneath the stage, with both conductor and musicians completely hidden from the audience's view by a large convex wall that curls toward the stage. From the auditorium, the audience can see only the stage, nothing else. A replication of this effect was important to Seaver Music Director James Conlon and to Ring director/designer Achim Freyer, who shared a desire to transform the theater in a manner that helped convey the mysterious and mythic power of Wagner's masterwork. This unusual construction allows the audience to concentrate on the visible, while the music renders its effect in on a more subconscious, primal level.

The pit is covered in a series of china-silk "louvers" with angled gaps between them to allow for visual contact between the conductor and the cast. Acoustical tests revealed that the louvers had no effect the sound; the sound travels through the silk, much like sound travels unimpeded through fabric or metal loudspeaker covers. (Similarly, the scrim hanging across the front of the stage doesn't affect the sound either.)

What is the significance of Wotan's hat and coat?
The coat and hat are Wotan's disguise when he roams the world, unrecognizable as king of the gods. Fricka, who despairs at Wotan's infidelity, hopes that Wotan's new fortress, Valhalla, will stop his wandering and give him reason to stay home. Unfortunately for her, we learn in the second opera, Die Walküre, that her plan doesn't succeed. By the time we get to the third opera in the Ring cycle, Siegfried, Wotan has essentially relinquished his duties as king of the gods as he awaits his ultimate fate, and the character is now only identified as "The Wanderer."

What is it like for the performers who wear masks?
"The mask poses problems which are new to me and which are a challenge," says tenor Graham Clark, who performs the role of Mime in Das Rheingold and Siegfried. "First and foremost, the mask is large but very light. There is plenty of air inside the mask. It does not touch the face at all as it has a fitting which suspends the mask from the head and face. It is attached to the head by an interior suspended band which is adjustable and is padded. However, the band must fit firmly around the head to avoid the mask moving independently. We had several fittings to make sure the mask was comfortable, made numerous small adjustments to the band and its position inside the mask and small adjustments to the padding and angle of the band. The mask must look upwards, even when my face is looking downwards, so that it catches the lights from above me. As we have a scrim at the front of the stage, there is no light on us from inside the auditorium. All the lights fall on me from above and be low the proscenium. The mask must therefore be angled slightly upwards the catch these lights. The costume department and the mask builder did a wonderful job.

"The mask is made of a mesh material so that there is plenty of air to breathe. By and large, I can see the conductor through the mask. However, I have to angle my head at times to see Maestro Conlon as the lights from above and below tend to dazzle me through the mesh. Additionally, there are small holes cut into the mask, which I can use to see the conductor by tilting my head at appropriate moments.

"The mask does not seem to distort or restrict sound. I can hear the orchestra very clearly and my colleagues all round me. I do not feel the need to push my voice at all whilst singing. However, there is a mild psychological barrier to overcome, as there is not only the mesh of the mask in front of my mouth to sing through, but also the scrim, two barriers between the audience and me. In theory there should not be any problem, but I am aware of the obstacles and concentrate on focusing my singing straight out and upwards into the auditorium, rather than to the left or right.

"I can't say that the mask drives me crazy at all, but I certainly never forget that I am wearing it. It is an added challenge to make Mime's nasty, pathetic personality and his duplicity believable. The mask's face does not change, of course. It is inert and expressionless. It has an abstract character which is not my own. I must therefore use it in ways that are somewhat experimental. I use angles of my head and body to try to make it live, create a personality and establish eye contact with the audience. I must also sing and use the text in a way that establishes a believable personality through the inert mesh. Therefore, I sing straight at the audience, in as direct a manner as possible, to try to give the impression that the mask breathes. That is probably the most difficult to achieve and each rehearsal and performance is a tussle I am constantly fighting. But it is a learning curve and one which is surprisingly enjoyable as I discover new performance tricks to try to dodge the hazards thrown up by the mask."

What makes the metallic sound effect during the transitions to and from Alberich's underground lair in Nibelheim?
Wagner's score calls for 18 tuned anvils but, according to orchestra manager Brady Steel, "As with many musical effects, actual anvils don't quite sound like you think an anvil should. Principal percussionist Theresa Dimond found a solution that we think works better. The anvils are actually various pieces of metal: small pipes that are about a foot long and an inch in diameter, some longer pipes that are about two feet long and three inches in diameter, brake drums, and some scrap metal we found in the Opera's shop. These are all ground down to the right pitch: three octaves of Fs, in this case. The six percussionists use different mallets, small metal beaters and ball peen hammers to create the sound."

Audio engineer Todd Reynolds is in charge of bringing the sound of the anvils into the theater. "The percussionists are located upstairs on the fourth floor in a rehearsal room. Each player is miked individually and we also have two stereo microphones for a fuller ambient sound. Each microphone is assigned to an individual speaker in the house so that we can hear the separation of the sounds and hopefully create a sense of surround sound. It's fun for me when the Opera wants to try something new."

What's up with the blue light saber in Valhalla that breaks off and ends up in Wotan's hand? What are the red cords that connect the gods? Why does Fafner turn around to reveal a dragon tail at the end of the opera? Why is Froh's rainbow accordion left adrift on the Rhine River at the end?
Director Achim Freyer is reluctant to give explicit explanations of most of his staging choices, preferring not to dictate his artistic vision to the audience. This allows each audience member to create their own interpretation based on his or her own perceptions and experiences. But several elements of the staging will reveal a deeper meaning in subsequent operas in the Ring cycle. Stay tuned!