The Rhinegold by Wagner, From (2022/2022), Directed by Andreas Homoki,, Conductor Gianandrea Noseda, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

the Rheingold “Only those who renounce love of power” can harness the magical power of the gold hidden deep in the Rhine and achieve sheer immeasurable power - this is how the Rhine daughters sing it at the beginning of the Rheingoldand thus expose the central conflict that determines Wagner's grandiose myth of world interpretation: the counter-principle to power, politics and violence is love, and love and power are mutually exclusive. At the beginning of the tetralogy, it is the Nibelung Alberich who renounces love in order to snatch the gold guarded by the Rhine daughters and forge the ring that will give him world domination. When he learns of Alberich's robbery, the supreme god Wotan also craves the magic ring and the riches that Alberich has already amassed with the help of the ring. Disregarding the laws he created himself, Wotan brings the ring into his power. The betrayed Alberich utters a desperate curse: from now on, misfortune and death should overtake every owner of the ring.The Rheingold , the eve of the tetralogy, begins with the famous E-flat major sounds that rise from the deepest depths and make the untouched nature musically evident. But this untouchedness does not last long, because in their insatiable hunger for wealth and power, the protagonists of this world parable not only disregard law and morality, but also destroy nature. the Rheingoldbut is also the most magical part of Wagner's world theater; In addition to gods and Nibelungs, giants, dwarfs, mermaids and the mythical primal creature Erda determine the events. The conflicts here have not yet reached the apocalyptic escalation to which they will come in the following evenings, nor does Wotan know that the consequences of his actions will lead to the inexorable downfall of the gods. Gianandrea Noseda takes on the ring score, which has become a pioneering musical theater work in music history thanks to bold timbres and the consequent use of leitmotif technique. Director Andreas Homoki is responsible for the production; Thomas Konieczny, who has already enjoyed great success in this role at the Vienna State Opera, makes his debut in Zurich. Christopher Purves will debut in the role of Alberich - as Wotan's fiercest opponent.