"There's opera -- and then there's Wagner"

That's a quote from the man who sat near my two friends and me during "The Ring" last week.

Since 1975, "The Ring" has been a quadrennial phenomenon in Seattle. This most recent production (first presented in 2001) just gets better on repeat viewing. Many of the same singers have returned time after time, digging deeper into the story and the music for each new cycle.

That said, "The Ring" is as exhausting as it is exhilarating. The shortest of the operas is 2-1/2 hours long, only because it runs without an intermission.

Last night's finale, "Götterdämmerung," began at 6 p.m., with a first act that lasted almost 2 hours. Two acts and two intermissions later, we staggered out of the Opera House, at 11:30 p.m.

When "The Ring" is on, Seattle becomes a truly international city. The opera cycle attracts people from all over the US and the world - this year there are visitors from 49 states and 23 countries. I love hearing all the accented English and foreign languages.

The international audience also lifts the general standard of dress at Seattle Opera. Here in the Northwest we're casual to a fault, and jeans and shorts(!) crop up where you hope they would be least expected.

At "The Ring" the holdouts may still turn out in REI chic, but the visitors (and determined locals) dress up. There were women in long gowns, men in full formal dress - and lots of sleeveless, backless and/or very short dresses. The range is great - my two favorites were a 70-something woman, blonde and charming, turned out in full, authentic dirndl; and a tall, white-haired man in formal kilts, complete with jacket, knee socks, and sporran.

Those horn calls are still running through my head.