Wotan's hope for recovery of the ring now rests with his grandson Siegfried, who must reject his adoptive father, forge a magical sword and slay a fearsome dragon to prove himself worthy of its mighty power—and the extraordinary woman who awaits him. London's Financial Times called soprano Nina Stemme “a Brünnhilde of tremendous subtlety and intensity, building her musical lines with calm intelligence.”
Francesca Zambello's “eerily resonant” production (The New York Times), which evokes a natural world ravaged by greed and neglect, is “one of the best Siegfrieds I've ever experienced,” raved the Washington Post. A “sensitive interpretation that, far from imposing an artificial concept on Wagner's work, delivered new insight into the characters.” English tenor Ian Storey, who triumphed as Tristan in Tristan and Isolde at La Scala, sings the title role. When Storey “opens his mouth, you remember what makes opera tick” (Times of London).
A generation has passed. Siegmund and Sieglinde's son Siegfried has been raised by Alberich's sly brother Mime. As Mime had hoped, the young hero slays the dragon that now possesses the ring. Advised by a forest bird, Siegfried kills the treacherous Mime and heads into the forest to find a mysterious sleeping woman. When the Wanderer (Wotan) tries to bar the way, Siegfried breaks the god's powerful spear and braves the circle of fire to awaken Brünnhilde. The two fall ecstatically in love.
Performances are sold only as a part of a 4-opera cycle except the production-premiere performance (Sunday, May 29, 1pm). Click here to see cycle dates and schedules. Click here to purchase single tickets to the May 29th performance.
PRODUCTION NEW TO SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
Approximate running time: 4 hours, 50 minutes including 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
