Cast
Andreas Homoki — Producer
Christian Schmidt — Set and costume design
Florian Schaaf — Assistant artistic stage designer
Tieni Burkhalter — Video designer
Franck Evin — Lighting designer
Werner Hintze — Dramaturgy
Beate Breidenbach — Dramaturgy
Program notes
Discover The Ring—Wagner’s epic four-part opera saga—just as the composer intended! After being presented separately at the Zürich Opera House over the course of the past four years, Wagner’s monumental cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen is now being performed live in its entirety in a once-in-a-lifetime event Bachtrack describes as "dramatic music-making at its finest". In the hands of General Music Director Gianandrea Noseda and Stage Director Andreas Homoki, Wagner's myth is represented as "a dysfunctional family of gods" (The Independent) in a polished yet unpretentious production that underscores the humanity of the characters, who are performed by the same exceptional cast of singers across all four operas.
Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen draws inspiration from Norse mythology and Germanic legend. With this original cycle, he crafted a grand operatic universe filled with extraordinary tales about a powerful, cursed ring and its role in the conflict between gods and mortals. Götterdämmerung ("The Twilight of the Gods") is the final opera in the set.
Following the events in Siegfried, siblings Gunther and Gutrune (heirs of a great kingdom) learn about Brünnhilde’s nobility and Siegfried’s heroism, and devise a plan to make them their respective partners. Siegfried, seeking new adventures, arrives near the palace and is warmly welcomed. After drinking a magic potion, he forgets about Brünnhilde and falls in love with Gutrune. To marry Gutrune, Siegried must first secure Brünhilde (still guarded by the eternal fire and possessing the ring as a token of his love) for Gunther. Disguising himself, he succeeds in bringing Brünnhilde to Gunther. At the double wedding, Brünnhilde recognises Siegfried and reveals their former relationship. To preserve his honor, Gunther kills him. Brünnhilde learns about the potion and forgives Siegfried. She returns the ring to the Rhine and this action lifts its curse, bringing an end to the era of the gods and their power forever. In the concluding scene of the opera, Brünnhilde leaps on Siegfried’s funeral pyre, joining him in the flames of love and death.
