The Rhinegold

RECORDINGS OF THE WORKS

Richard Wagner: Rhinguldet

Watch in the DR archive (2011)More recordings on Kulturbase

Videos from Kulturbase

Address

Kirsten Flagstads Plass 1,
0150 Oslo

The Rhinegold

Description

The price of power. The promise of love. Wagner's great The Ring of the Nibelung opens with a note from the depths, slowly growing in the orchestra. That is how a universe begins. In the years to come, mighty music will open up a whole world for us. It is time for the prelude to it all - it is time for The Rhinegold. In January 2027 we begin our journey with Richard Wagner's monumental work The Ring of the Nibelung - and invite you along on an operatic adventure you will never forget. The Ring of the Nibelung consists of three music dramas: The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods, plus a prelude: The Rhinegold. From 2027 to 2029 you can experience the works one by one. In 2029 we will also play the whole cycle over the course of one week, twice. But first, then - the prelude. What is The Rhinegold about? Deep down on the muddy bed of the Rhine, something alluring glitters. The gold is guarded by the Rhinemaidens, who tease the black dwarf Alberich. Whoever owns the gold, they say, gains power over the world. Alberich is both provoked and tempted. He steals the gold - despite the Rhinemaidens' warning that whoever takes it will never know love. In the world of the gods, Wotan has built himself a palace he cannot really afford. In desperation he has promised away his sister-in-law, Freia, as payment. His wife, Fricka, is, to put it mildly, not very enthusiastic. It is then that the cunning Loge tells of the gold Alberich has forged into a ring that gives all the power in the world ... Wotan and Loge travel to Nibelheim, rob the treasure and the ring, but the primal mother Erda persuades Wotan to give it up. It does not take long before both we and Wotan see the ripple effects of the curse, which will follow generations - a struggle between loveless power and powerless love. A Ring for our time It is the acclaimed director Tatjana Gürbaca who has been given the task of staging Nasjonaloperaen's new The Ring of the Nibelung. The director is known for her psychologically precise interpretations of human relationships and for sharp, complex portrayals of female characters in particular. With Operaen's music director Edward Gardner on the conductor's podium and a top team of Norwegian and international vocal soloists in the roles, an epic experience of the rarest kind awaits. Artistic team and performers Music and libretto Richard Wagner Original title Das Rheingold Musical direction Edward Gardner Director Tatjana Gürbaca Set design Henrik Ahr Costume design Barbara Drosihn Lighting design Stefan Bolliger Performers Operaorkestret Wotan Yngve Søberg Donner Aleksander Nohr Froh Eirik Grøtvedt Loge Magnus Staveland Alberich Johannes Weisser Mime Ya-Chung Huang Fasolt Nicolai Elsberg Fafner Jens-Erik Aasbø Fricka Astrid Nordstad Freia Margrethe Fredheim Erda Anna Kissjudit Woglinde Erin O’Rourke Wellgunde Sandra Bendrik Flosshilde Frida Lund-Larsen