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: Nele Schmitt
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.

Ring Cycles

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.

Cast

Conductor Michael Güttler
Director Uwe Eric Laufenberg
Revival Director Florian Mahlberg
Stage Designer Gisbert Jäkel
Costume Designer Antje Sternberg
Lighting Designer Andreas Frank
Video Falko Sternberg
Chorus Master Albert Horne
Dramaturgy Katja Leclerc
Siegfried Klaus Florian Vogt
Andreas Schager
Gunther Birger Radde, Joachim Goltz
Alberich KS Thomas de Vries
Hagen Albert Pesendorfer
Brünnhilde Manuela Uhl
Gutrune / Third Norn Betsy Horne
Waltraute / First Norn Katrin Wundsam
Floßhilde / Second Norn Sandra Janke
Woglinde Anastasiya Taratorkina
Wellgunde Fleuranne Brockway
Chor, Extrachor & Statisterie des Hessischen Staatstheaters Wiesbaden, Hessisches Staatsorchester Wiesbaden

Dates

Ring CycleGrosses Haus16:00 - 21:30
Sold out / leftover tickets at the box office
International May Festival | Ring CycleGrosses Haus16:00 - 21:30