With the first flowing drone of the prelude from Das Rheingold, under the virtuoso baton of maestro James Levine, I felt as if Wagner himself had taken me by the hand as one would a child, leading me gently into his primordial world. As a result, the photographs you see represent the complete visual narrative of the Ring as seen through the wide, naive eyes of an admiring new fan. At the time, I was unaware that Richard Wagner’s own stage directions from his full orchestral score inspired this production. No wonder I felt his commanding embrace!