Wagner: Die Walküre / BUDAPEST WAGNER DAYS

Wagner: Die Walküre

The second evening in the Ring of the Nibelung tetralogy will treat those present to the most popular of the four operas: Die Walküre captivates the listener with such deservedly beloved opera hits as Siegmund's Spring Song in Act 1 and, in Act 3, the Ride of the Valkyries, Wotan's Farewell and the Magic Fire Music. The plot unfolds with extraordinary power, drawing the audience into the passions of the characters with inexorable force. One thing is certain - no one could possibly be indifferent to the fate of the doomed lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde.

One of the most exciting aspects of Müpa Budapest's performances of Wagnerian works is the relationship between permanence and change. Although the concept behind the productions has always been a mature one, over the years the Ring has been rejuvenated within the framework of a constant idea and reborn in the details. Another permanent feature is the conducting method - one combining humanism with perfectionism - of music director Ádám Fischer. Nevertheless, it is precisely this characteristic exigency of his that helps him find new aspects to bring to the surface from the work's inexhaustible riches each year. Also offering a thrilling mixture of permanence and change, of course, are the shifts in emphasis that result from trying out new singers in various roles each year and retaining past veterans in others. This year's production will feature American heldentenor Daniel Brenna as Siegmund. As in Das Rheingold, Wotan will be portrayed by the versatile Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny. This year's Ring offers the opportunity for an interesting experience by having the rebellious Amazon Brünnhilde sung by Sweden's Iréne Theorin at one of the performances and by Briton Catherine Foster at the other, a chance to compare the two sopranos' singing styles and approaches to the role. Playing Fricka as a worthy partner to Wotan in the great marital dispute in the second movement will be Atala Schöck.

Artistic director and conductor: Ádám Fischer

Performers:
Siegmund............... Daniel Brenna
Wotan..................... Tomasz Konieczny
Brünnhilde.............. Iréne Theorin / Catherine Foster
Fricka..................... Schöck Atala

Featuring Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Presented by: Müpa Budapest