Southeast Asia’s First “Ring”

“Thailand’s decision to be the first Southeast Asian nation to present the work has surprised even the most ardent Wagnerians. The production, by the Bangkok Opera, has the official blessing of the composer’s great-grandson Wolfgang, who inaugurated Bangkok’s Wagner Society last year. But it is a huge undertaking for a country that has been producing Western opera for only five years. Will Wagner be raising a quizzical eye from beyond the grave?”