The Rheingold

by Richard Wagner
The eve of the stage festival The Ring of the Nibelung in four pictures
Poetry by the composer
in german with german and english surtitles
Gold or rather love? At the beginning of Wagner’s tetralogy, there appears to be a momentous choice, which strictly speaking is not a choice at all. Because Alberich is denied love, he renounces it forever and takes possession of the glittering raw material that, forged into a ring, promises dominion over all creatures. With this cardinal mistake, Wagner sets in motion his grand world narrative, in which other characters will continue to exchange love – if ever so briefly – for the prospect of power, which sooner or later leads to collapse. Stephan Kimmig interprets the mythical beginning as a sadly grotesque end-time saga. Gods, giants and dwarves meet in the ruins of a night circus: a playground for exploring dizzying flights of fancy and fears of falling, but also a metaphor for a world stuck in a frenzied standstill, where three Rhine maidens of the postmillennial generation unflinchingly search for new paths into the future.
Location
Opernhaus
Duration
approx. 2 h 30 min., no intermission

World premiere
1869 in Munich

Premiere of this production
November 21, 2021

Recommended age
from grade 9
There will be a german introcution 45 minutes before the performance at foyer I. floor.

Trailer