In October 2016, composer Mátti Kovler presented “Drumf and the Rhinegold,” his hilarious and biting 15-minute parody of the 15-hour Wagnerian epic “Ring Cycle.”
Co-produced by Art Assets and directed by Doug Fitch (NY Philharmonic, BSO), the production brought together a ragtag ensemble of top-tier NYC musicians, including Ariadne Greif as Melania, Lucy Dhegrae as Marla, Casey Keenan as Ivana, and Matthew Shifrin as Rhinegold, with orchestra conductor John Tarbet.
A New York City Event, the exceedingly short opera was the centerpiece of an immersive installation offering audiences a window into the decadence and absurdity of Trump’s world against the backdrop of a 7,000-square-foot condemned space in a Manhattan tower, transformed into an opulent “Drumf Tower” suite.
After sold-out performances in NYC and Boston, Kovler reprised the show in July 2017, bringing six guerrilla performances to Turn Park Art Space in the Berkshires.
The plot: Having stolen the magical Rhinegold, which grants world domination to its owner, the sinister Drumf is now poised to become leader of the free world. The gold’s guardians, the beautiful Rhinemaidens Ivana, Marla, and Melania, race against time to reclaim their gold from his grubby clutches. After the consecutive failures of Ivana and Marla, can Melania succeed in wresting the gold from Drumf before her time runs out?
About Mátti Kovler: Described as “a potentially estimable operatic composer in the making” (Steve Smith, New York Times), Matti Kovler is a Russian-born Israeli composer and creator of new works of musical theatre. Kovler’s music has been commissioned by the Tanglewood, Carnegie Hall, and the Israel Festival. His works have been performed by the Israel Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, the Metropole Orchestra (Netherlands), and many others. Creative influences include Jewish folklore, improvisation, and the cult writings of the French theatre philosopher Antonin Artaud. Matti has mastered a range of styles—from folk and jazz to the classical tradition—which he brings together in music of considerable dramatic scope, by turns comic, mystical, warm, and searing.