As we are only two days away until the performance of Das Rheingold at the Sydney Recital Centre, we have finished full runs of the whole work with the whole cast with the orchestra. As it is a semi-staged concert performance, our responsibilities as artists became quite apparent. Even though the role I am playing, Donner, is not very instrumental in the storytelling mechanism, I got the privilege to work with seasoned performers and master storytellers. Watching them embody physicalities bringing music and text to live is mesmerising and revelatory. It challenges me and makes me question: what is MY role as a storyteller? What story should I be telling? How can I and people like me find relevance in this piece?
Renarr-Asian
Wagner’s infamy for his pro-Aryan and anti-semitic views has been anything but controversial, which might deter many people from considering the merits of his works. There must always be a sound reason and purpose for past masterpieces to be brought back. It must have relevance and must be appropriate for a new era and new people.
Some people love opera because it is the apex of their own culture as a people. Personally, I am not a Europhile and do not see western culture as the apex of enlightenment. I value and love Opera purely based on its merit as a medium of expression and story-telling, as well as the development of intricate language that is called western classical music and literature.
I, a 5th generation Chinese migrant, who was born in a land once was a Dutch colony, know well of my responsibility to present opera as a relevant art form to my own people. We were often labelled as ‘Jews of the East’ for our knack for business and inability to fully assimilate due to our stubbornness and undivided dedications to our family, clan and ancestors. What is the story that I should tell as an artist, so that this upcoming performance is not just mere pageantry of Aryan ethno-nationalism/ultranationalism?
Exploitation of Ultracapitalism
Jumping to second scene of Das Rheingold, Wotan blindly promised the giants that he will give them Freia as the payment for building Valhalla, while he sent Loge away to seek what other rewards could replace Freia.
The faults and shortcomings of these gods are as clear as day, and their abuse of power even more so. Empty promises of fair pay. That is reminiscent of the ultra-capitalist nature of post-colonial world today. Employers and executives wave carrots on sticks to workers gullible enough to promises of career progression or higher wage. The pressure to propagate investors’ equity squeezed the labourers dry until there is no more room to wriggle.
Exploitation of labour began with slavery, where huge profit margin is carved out from inflation of value due to scarcity and minimised cost. Conquest for commodities eventuates to unfair diplomacy, often at gunpoint. Local conflicts were exploited to build and control hegemonies. Aids were given to allies to subdue mutual foes with the promise of acquisition of land, people and resources.
The gods of Valhalla are these same people, who corrupts absolutely while at the same time preaches noble virtues. The giants on the other hands, are non human. The initial payment for their contract was not even money. The price the giants required was love and beauty. Those are the wishes the Rheinmaidens rejected to Alberich the dwarf. Wotan sent Loge to seek if there is anything mankind value more than the joy of love, and there was none. Obviously the Giants and Dwarves were not granted the same joy of love enjoyed by ‘mankind’, same as how Colonial masters do not seek for the prosperity of others but of their own kind. Europe entered golden age of enlightenment from this stolen wealth under the guise of lawful trade while exploiting their ‘business partners’ and ‘labourers’ through deceit.
When slavery was abolished, European colonies realised they needed substitutes for slavery. Moreover, indigenous populations do not have the skill to build modern cities, factories, refineries and mines. During that time, Chinese people have settled in foreign lands and established their own trade locally. Many of these people were abducted for their skill to build colonial cities and industries. Many were also promised handsome rewards in exchange for a perilous journey to toil in foreign land. These Chinese coolies were nicknamed ‘piglets’, and were crammed into small boats. It was common that a third of these people died during the journey. They were also often misled and sent to different place from where they were promised to disembark.
Various methods of debt-trapping were employed to ensure that they will never be able to complete their contract. Once freed from the contract and gained enough economic power, they were seen as threat and were sent elsewhere. Even worse, there were rumours of them being thrown out into the sea. Periodic culling of Chinese coolies were not uncommon, as there will always be naive new batch to be deceived and exploited.
The Theft of Nibelung’s Gold
Enticed by Loge’s suggestion, the giant Fafner offered to replace Freia in exchange for Nibelung’s gold, which eventuates to Wotan and Loge venturing Nibelung to capture Alberich the dwarf and control the dwarves of Nibelung through the power of the Ring.
When slavery was abolished, the Colonial masters found various manoeuvres to bypass the law. If they cannot enslave, then they can enslave them through local lords with their local laws, just as how they captured Alberich to control the dwarves and the gold mines of Nibelung.
Chinese abroad has always been entrepreneurial and often involve themselves into dealings with local Lords. In 18th century, local Sultans of West Borneo brought in Chinese to work in gold and tin mines. These Chinese eventually built their own trade guilds and establish their own Chinese state, known as Lanfang republic. Jealous of the prosperity of these Chinese, the Dutch established foothold in West Borneo and invaded Lanfang and Chinese mining towns, and eventually acquired those precious gold and tin mines.
It is easy to justify the subjugation of Alberich for his ruthlessness in his reign and exploitation of the Nibelungs, yet only to be replaced by another oppressive regime. This is also the logic of European colonial enterprises, under the clause of ‘civilising’ and ‘spreading God’s word’, condoning countless abuse and massacres of local inhabitants and non-Europeans.
The Fall of the Dwarves and Giants
The corruption of Alberich the dwarf was not something natural. The birth of hatred, or rather the disdain for love was spurred by the rejection of Rheinmaidens, fair guardians of Rheingold. To comprehend how a piece of shimmering gold can control the world itself is something beyond natural laws. The idea of putting such great value into dead piece of ore, above the value of love (something only the living can have) is against the natural law. What caused Alberich to break this law is Rheinmaidens’ cruel spurning of Alberich, suggesting that dwarves do not deserve the beauty and joy of love enjoyed by mankind.
The giants themselves, did not see the value in the gold and the ring until they were denied of the joy and beauty of love. The gods’ ‘gate-keeping’ of love, is what caused the corruption of the dwarves and the giants. The origin of these fantastical concept such as dwarves and giants is also quite curious, as they seem to refer to humanoid entities that are similar to human but not quite.
These ‘sub-humans’ were also gate-kept by the colonial masters of the past from accessing equal privileges. Old Chinese descents and natives could still recall how public pools used to have signs saying ‘No Dogs. No Chinese’ or ‘No Inlanders/Natives’. To compete with that, wealthy Chinese merchants joined up together to establish Chinese sports clubs, where they can enjoy privileges equal to their European counterparts. Once, a powerful Chinese merchant from Penang, Cheong Fatt Tze desired to travel and booked a first class ticket on a ship. He was rejected on the clause that he was Chinese, and that no Chinese were allowed to access first class. He refused to accept this unfair treatment, and bought his own ships to compete with said shipping company, where he could travel leisurely as a first class passenger.
Chinese migrants were also not allowed to send their children for schooling and obtain proper healthcare in Dutch East Indies, despite having to pay higher tax and subjugated to very restrictive laws. Chinese communities later established their own schools and hospitals funded solely by themselves. For very long, Chinese migrants of the colonial settlements have contributed so much, yet it was not too long ago when we were still treated as sub-humans, tolerated in small numbers, and to be culled when when we’re too many to control.
Time is Changing
I feel that, as Southeast Asians, it is time for us to lead our own narrative in opera. It would be such a missed opportunity, if a Ring Cycle is done in Southeast Asia, but none of the above is acknowledged. I am so inspired by the phenomenal interpretation of the role of Alberich in this production, and I truly hope that one day I will have the chance to interpret this role, as it contains the same oppressed angst I can absolutely relate to, and tell the story of people before me, who have paved the path below me that have gotten me this far.
Do not miss the show on 24th of April 2026 730PM at Sydney Recital Hall. Book the tickets here, seats are limited.
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