Richard Wagner: Die Walküre

In Die Walküre, the second part of Wagner’s Ring, separated twins Siegmund and Sieglinde meet and fall in forbidden love, igniting Wotan’s plans to reshape fate through mortal heroes. Fricka demands Siegmund’s death, enforcing the laws of marriage, and Wotan orders his beloved daughter, Brünnhilde, to let Siegmund die. Defying Wotan, Brünnhilde vows to protect him, setting off a tragic spiral as Wotan intervenes and Siegmund falls.

Andreas Homoki’s Zurich production emphasizes raw emotional depth, inviting audiences to experience the characters’ intense conflicts and vulnerabilities. Gianandrea Noseda’s sensitive conducting and the richly textured soundscape of the Philharmonia Zürich bring out the emotional nuances in Wagner’s music, while Eric Cutler as Siegmund, Daniela Köhler as Sieglinde, and Camilla Nylund as Brünnhilde deliver outstanding performances. The Zurich production’s sets, designed by Christian Schmidt, evoke the grandeur and otherworldliness of Wagner’s universe, ranging from dense forest hideouts to the Valkyrie rock ablaze with fire.

Richard Wagner
DIE WALKÜRE

First day of the stage-festival drama “The Ring of the Nibelung”

Gianandrea Noseda, musical direction
Andreas Homoki, stage director
Christian Schmidt, stage and costume design
Florian Schaaf, artistic collaboration stage design
Franck Evin, lighting design
Tieni Burkhalter, video
Ernst Raffelsberger, choir master
Werner Hintze & Beate Breidenbach, dramaturgy

Philharmonia Zürich
Statistenverein am Opernhaus Zürich

Siegmund____Eric Cutler
Hunding____Christof Fischesser
Wotan____Tomasz Konieczny
Sieglinde____Daniela Köhler
Brünnhilde____Camilla Nylund
Fricka____Claudia Mahnke
Helmwige____Sarah Cambidge
Gerhilde____Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk
Ortlinde____Barbara Senator
Waltraute____Anna Werle
Siegrune____Simone McIntosh
Rossweiße____Siena Licht Miller
Grimgerde____Michal Doron
Schwertleite____Noa Beinart