Sarah Cambidge

Der Ring des Nibelungen in a production of the Zürich opera house, recorded 2024. "Dramatic music-making at its finest". In the hands of General Music Director Gianandrea Noseda and Stage Director Andreas Homoki, Wagner's myth is represented as "a dysfunctional family of gods" (The Independent) in a polished yet unpretentious production that underscores the humanity of the characters, who are performed by the same exceptional cast of singers across all four operas.

In the wake of the Trojan War, Elektra’s world has come unmoored. When her desire for justice becomes a blood lust, she pushes her fractured family to the brink of destruction.

As the end nears for the gods, and human ambition rules the world, Alberich’s son Hagen hatches a plot to take control of the ring, threatening the union of Siegfried and Brünnhilde. Fueled by greed, Hagen’s actions lead to chaos and destruction, until Brünnhilde steps forward to return the world to its natural order.

A father’s blinding ambition and a daughter’s profound defiance drive the story forward in the cycle’s dramatic second installment. This Ring production is partly #MeToo, partly environmental—and almost entirely American.