Organization

Bayreuther Festspiele

Tenor

Siegfried Jerusalem

Froh

Mezzo-soprano

Hanna Schwarz

Fricka

Contralto

Ortrun Wenkel

Erda

Conductor

Pierre Boulez

Stage director

Patrice Chéreau

Set designer

Richard Peduzzi

Costume designer

Jacques Schmidt

Baritone

Donald McIntyre

Wotan

Heinz Zednik

Loge

Hermann Becht

Alberich

Bass

Matti Salminen

Fasolt

Fritz Hubner

Fafner

Helmut Pampuch

Mime

Marga Schiml

Flosshilde

Orchestra

Bayreuther Festspielorchester

Das Rheingold -  (The Rhinegold)

Bayreuth

Germany

Many productions of Richard Wagner's monumental cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" with a wide variety of interpretive approaches have taken the world's stages in recent decades, but hardly any of these new interpretations, sometimes more or less successful, have gone down in performance history as much as the "Ring "-Production 1976 at the Bayreuth Festival. Back then, 40 years ago, the 100th anniversary of the festival was celebrated, at the same time the 100th anniversary of the first complete cyclic "Ring" performance - and for the first time the production outside the Wagner family was awarded for this special event. After two "Ring" productions each, directed by Wagner's grandsons Wieland and Wolfgang in the post-war years in Bayreuth, the 31-year-old film and acting director Patrice Chéreau was hired for the anniversary production. His radical interpretation of the “ring” (located in the early industrialization period) as a parable of the upheavals of the 19th century, as “a description of the perversion of society based on the preservation of power” (Chéreau’s own quote) is vehement at first rejected, only to be celebrated more and more (until 1980) thanks to the strong imagery, the stringency of the production and the intensity of the performances. This production has gone down in music history as the “Ring of the Century”. It was first vehemently rejected as "a description of the perversion of society based on the preservation of power" (Chéreau's own quote), and then (until 1980) more and more thanks to the strong visual language, the stringency of the production and the intensity of the performances to be celebrated. This production has gone down in music history as the “Ring of the Century”. It was first vehemently rejected as "a description of the perversion of society based on the preservation of power" (Chéreau's own quote), and then (until 1980) more and more thanks to the strong visual language, the stringency of the production and the intensity of the performances to be celebrated. This production has gone down in music history as the “Ring of the Century”.

The Brünnhilde of the Chéreau "Ring" was the Welsh soprano Gwyneth Jones; She had developed from the youthful-dramatic repertoire into the more difficult subject - and since this Bayreuth production of "Ring" at the latest, she has been considered the leading highly dramatic soprano of her time. "I have no words to describe these five years," said director Patrice Chéreau after the last performance. “It was one of the most important experiences of my life to be able to work with you, Gwyneth. You were the stone on which I built my ring. I won't forget that.” Dame Gwyneth Jones celebrated her 80th birthday this month.

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