Richard Wagner
Libretto by Richard Wagner

Eve of "Der Ring des Nibelungen"
The unsullied enchantment of E-flat major harmonies in the initial bars of Das Rheingold doesn’t last very long. Instead, a world comes into being; a world that fifteen hours of music later will be unable to stave off its own downfall. In this world, nature is violated, and laws are ignored. Greed, power and malediction are the order of the day. Alberich steals the gold from the Rhine Maidens, enslaves his workers and revels in the sweet smell of world domination. Wotan claims it for himself and joins forces with Loge to make off with the ring, the gold and the magic helmet. His construction project is envisioned as the foundation of existence for his family of gods – his wife objects. He must part with the accursed ring as payment to the two giants. Seething with envy, one giant murders the other. The glow of the gods’ castle first gleams after the tempest, but Loge sees the castle already headed for ruin. The threads of the tale get tangled in this eve of the tetralogy, the water loses its sheen, and the clouds are shrouded in darkness.

In German with German surtitles

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Conductor Kent Nagano   
Production Andreas Kriegenburg   
Set Harald B. Thor   
Costumes Andrea Schraad   
Lighting Stefan Bolliger   
Choreography Zenta Haerter   
Dramaturgy Marion Tiedtke 13. July 2013  
Miron Hakenbeck 13. July 2013  

Wotan Johan Reuter   
Donner Levente Molnár   
Froh Sergey Skorokhodov   
Loge Stefan Margita   
Alberich Tomasz Konieczny   
Mime Ulrich Reß   
Fasolt Thorsten Grümbel   
Fafner Steven Humes   
Fricka Sophie Koch   
Freia Aga Mikolaj   
Erda Catherine Wyn-Rogers   
Woglinde Hanna-Elisabeth Müller   
Wellgunde Angela Brower   
Floßhilde Okka von der Damerau   

The Bavarian State Orchestra