The Longest Opera Ever Written

This Wagnerian opera is already a great part of the German cultural experience.  It is Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen."  The four parts of Wagner's epic tale of Teutonic mythology together clock in at close to 16 hours.  But if you can't imagine ever sitting through a performance that long, take heart, because you're more familiar with the opera than you think.  For instance, when you picture opera, you probably imagine large ladies in horned helmets, right?  That's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (The Nibelung's Ring).

The character you're thinking of is Brunhilde, a Valkyrie who betrays her lover, Sigfried, setting in motion the main action of the opera.  Another comforting reference point:  The story line is a lot like The Lord of the Rings.

Wagner's ring in question is stolen from the gods and cursed, so it must be retrieved before it destroys everybody in Valhalla.  Wagner started working on the epic piece in 1848 and finished it 26 years later.  To say the composer was protective of his ridiculously ambitious endeavor is quite the understatement.  In fact, Wagner wanted a new opera house built in Bayreuth, Germany, specifically for the first performance of "The Ring."  He even went so far as to move there in 1872 to raise funds and oversee the construction  But apparently, Wagner was a better composer than a salesman.  After two years of struggling to get the building off the ground, King Ludwig II felt sorry for him and donated enough money to finish the project.  The Bayreuth Festival Theater opened in 1876.  The curtain went up for the first complete performance of "The Ring" on August 13; came down on August 17.  Today, Wagner's opus stands proudly as the longest opera ever written.

image source:http://www.incentraleurope.radio.cz