Wotan, king of the gods, strives to undo the curse of the ring by fathering a pure-of-heart hero by a mortal woman. But he finds himself torn as events spin out of control and his offspring defy his will. Wotan's deeply loving but disobedient daughter is sung by soprano Nina Stemme, who makes her cycle debut. Stemme is a performer of “fearless emotional intensity,” said The New York Times. “The impact of her burnished voice, thrilling top notes and charismatic presence pulls you in.”
Soprano Anja Kampe “sang with prodigious grace and power” (San Francisco Chronicle) as Sieglinde at Washington National Opera, and she joins tenor Brandon Jovanovich in his role debut as Siegmund. “Prepare to be utterly amazed,” raved the Washington, D.C., Metro Weekly. “This is a supremely cohesive operatic and theatrical experience, a tremendously absorbing ride in which we thrill to Wagner's brilliant, evocative score while realizing just how relevant the work is to modern audiences. Time will fly like a Valkyrie on the wind.”
Siegmund, Wotan's wandering son, stumbles upon the home of Sieglinde, his unrecognized twin sister. Although Sieglinde is the wife of Siegmund's sworn enemy, the two are mutually attracted and consummate their incestuous relationship. Wotan's outraged wife Fricka, protector of marriage vows, demands that Wotan order his daughter, the warrior-maiden Brünnhilde, not to protect Siegmund, but to let him die in battle with Sieglinde's husband. Disobeying Wotan, Brünnhilde tries in vain to prevent Siegmund's death but rescues the pregnant Sieglinde. To punish Brünnhilde's disobedience, Wotan puts her into a deep sleep, surrounded by fire, to await a mortal husband.
Performances are sold only as a part of a 4-opera cycle. Click here to see cycle dates and schedules.
Approximate running time: 4 hours, 30 minutes with two intermissions
Sung in German with English supertitles
Co-production with Washington National Opera
OperaVision, high-definition video projection screens, will be featured on the balcony level for each performance of every cycle. Learn more
