Jon's paraphrasing of "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings" in another thread brought to mind the Blood, Sweat & Tears concert, which I think is worth recounting, that I saw at the Metropolitan Opera House many years ago.

Their second encore was a mystifying song, set to Mozart's Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, about a naked man terrorizing bus drivers, its chorus being "Beware, beware, beware the naked man....", and it was, like... "Huh?"

After a while I became aware that an IMMENSE valkyrie was descending to the stage from "Valhalla", i.e. the rafters, and as she neared the stage she sang a final "Beware the naked man", and the music stopped dead, and the house lights came up instantly.

It was over; the fat lady had sung.

Bravo, BS&T!

(My impression of the audience reaction was that the vast majority of the audience had absolutely no idea what they had just seen.)

And for those Wagnerians who appreciate satire, watch Anna Russell's scholarly analysis of the Ring cycle.

Indeed. For over a half century Anna Russell's gem has been the benchmark for all such treatments. I first heard (and cherished) it on an LP recording (unfortunately long since lost).