Opera
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Götterdämmerung
Twilight of the Gods
Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883)
Sung in German, with surtitles
Libretto: by the composer
Premiere: 1876 in Bayreuth
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
Photo: Karl und Monika Forster
The threads of fate have been severed. The human-born, God-sent hero bearing the precious Ring of the Nibelung dies in the forest near Gibichung Hall. It is treacherous murder. The funeral march which Wagner composed for him seems to suspend the breath of the entire world – a requiem amongst the leitmotifs. Not even Siegfried’s super-human power (the fearless and “noblest hero in the world”) or the strengthening force of Brünnhilde’s love (ever stronger now that she is human) can prevent the tragedy.
The world has come apart at the seams; greed, deception, fear and despair are its rulers. Alberich’s curse has come true and Erda’s warning turned into reality. With Wotan’s speer in tatters, the gods are helplessly left at Alberich’s mercy, while disrespect and theft strip nature of her regulatory powers. The “Ring World” is no more, and there remains no resolution to the godfather’s conflict between utopia and reality.
Wagner drowns all history in a sea of sound – a purifying world fire of sorts. But the utopia will endure nonetheless. As a young Kapellmeister, Wagner himself stood fearlessly on the Revolution barricades in burning Dresden, hand grenades by his side. He depicts Wotan at the end of his life as a tragic figure, incapable of survival. But these contradictions must be endured – before, as it is now, and in the future.
The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden presents three Ring cycles during the 2023/24 season: the first cycle takes place from the end of January, while the second is scheduled for Easter. The final cycle will take place during the 2024 International May Festival.