Tomer Zvulun, the Atlanta Opera’s multitasking Carl W. Knoblauch general and artistic director, begins to realize his long-cherished dream of forging an Atlanta “Ring”—the symbol of his company’s elevation to the majors. In the opening chapter of the four-part epic, Greer Grimsley’s ambitious Wotan and Elizabeth DeShong’s nagging Fricka head the pantheon of dicey Norse divinities. Zachary Nelson appears as Alberich, Wotan’s ring-forging nemesis. Strikingly beautiful advance visuals of the production place supercool fantasy figures in clean stage designs. (Wotan’s horned helmet might have been lifted straight from the nightmare coda of Todd Field’s Tár, with all those Trekkies assembled for a sci-fi screening with live symphonic accompaniment.) As a director, Zvulun has a knack for blending intellectual insight with populist flair. Lucky Atlanta. —Matthew Gurewitsch