The story of The Rheingold Curse comes from a long tradition of Viking myths that deal with family values, greed and lust- subjects that still relate to so much in our lives today. The vikings had a nomadic aural tradition which has been almost completely absent for hundreds of years. Sequentia made the massive effort to revive these medieval myths in order to uncover the original context for the stories.  It was an ambitious task to take on and one that could be very fruitful if completed well. I applaud their efforts and am glad to have seen the fruits of their labor.

Benjamin Bagby, the director of Sequentia, was the true highlight of this piece. His persona, understanding of the text, and part he played gave him an uncanny ability to speak to the audience. There was not one person in attendance that could not watch and listen to him without understanding his purpose. He embodied a traveling bard of old that I could imagine being familiar to drunken men and women of the medieval era (imagine a drinking lodge in 800 CE). Agnethe Christensen personified Brynhild victoriously, and I loved her warrior-like wooden shoes! Lena Susanne Norin made my night complete as Gudrun who truly takes the story home in the end. The audience had an audible gasp when they realized her character’s actions in the final scene.

The music itself was very intriguing. My companion says he’s never seen or heard anything like it before, though he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. The words were in Icelandic, which when sung, startled us as it sounded exactly like the Swedish Chef of Muppet Show fame. After getting over a fit of muffled laughter, I was able to enjoy the rest of the performance. I thought the instrumental orchestration was repetitive at times, but for the most part, paired with the singing, the piece was very intelligently put together. I agree with my companion, there is not much like it to be heard in the world, but I enjoyed it, if not for that reason alone.

My major problem with the evening came from the audience itself. When thinking that these stories when first performed were by traveling bards for entertainment along the roads they traveled, this venue seemed quite a bit different. I cannot imagine anyone going to see a piece like this if it cost less than $50 a ticket. (A) No one would take it seriously and (B) it would not show up on anyone’s radar as a worthwhile production. So, for $100 a ticket, the wealthy and older crowd would presume the performance to be very high brow and intellectual and therefore worthwhile of their time and money. I don’t think that was the case when a piece like this was first performed in medieval times. I believe it was for the low brow as well as high brow crowds. It was to speak to the masses, not the few. Therefore, I was not surprised to find the audience full of an older generation and also full of people who had no idea what there were about to see. They laughed when it was not appropriate, could not pay attention as I heard snoring, coughing and even talking (and about subjects other than the performance!) I was floored at their behavior! If I had been any other patron, I would’ve walked out completely.

All in all, I thank Sequentia for bringing this piece alive. It was a glimpse into the past of our musical world and with a myth that is still alive today. I leave with the simple question of why they went to all the trouble to recreate the music, but ask with whole-hearted interest and with a smile.

Bagby as Bard