Organization

Dirigent

Dirigent (+4)

Sébastien Rouland

Saarländisches Staatstheater

Opéra Royal de Versailles

Orchestra

Orchestre du Théâtre National de la Sarre

Tenor (+1)

Peter Sonn

Siegmund

Bas (+3)

Hiroshi Matsui

Hunding

Baryton (+3)

Sangmin Lee

Wotan

Sopran

Ingegjerd Bagøien Moe

Sieglinde

Sopran (+1)

Aile Asszonyi

Brünnhilde

Mezzosopran (+5)

Judith Braun

Fricka

Waltraute

Sopran (+2)

Elizabeth Wiles

Gerhilde

Liudmila Lokaichuk

Ortlinde

Sopran (+3)

Valda Wilson

Helmwige

Mezzosopran (+4)

Joanna Jaworowska

Siegrune

Mezzosopran (+3)

Clara-Sophie Bertram

Grimgerde

Carmen Seibel

Roßweiße

Opéra Royal

Chorus

Solistes du Théâtre National de la Sarre

Sunday March 17th 2024
Royal Opera
3pm l 4h40 with intermissions
Cast

First day in three acts of the Tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelungen (Der Ring des Nibelungen) to a libretto by Wagner, premiered in Munich in 1870.

Peter Sonn Siegmund
Hiroshi Matsui Hunding
Sangmin Lee Wotan
Ingegjerd Bagøien Moe Sieglinde
Aile Asszonyi Brünnhilde
Judith Braun Fricka, Waltraute
Elizabeth Wiles Gerhilde
Liudmila Lokaichuk Ortlinde
NN Schwertleite
Valda Wilson Helmwige
Joanna Jaworowska Siegrune
Clara-Sophie Bertram Grimgerde
Carmen Seibel Rossweiße

Orchestre du Théâtre National de la Sarre
Sébastien Rouland Conductor

Concert in German with French and English surtitles
Presentation

A Ring at Versailles: the dream of Ludwig II of Bavaria

For any opera house, Richard Wagner's Ring – The Ring of the Nibelung – is one of the high points of lyric art. Composed between 1853 and 1874, this cycle is a myth, constructed as a "stage festival" with a Prologue: The Rheingold, and three days:  The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods. This famous Tetralogy was first presented in its entirely for the opening of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1876.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria's absolute passion for Versailles and for Wagner forged a unique connection between this Ring and the most beautiful palace in the world.

To celebrate the upcoming hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Ring (1876-2026), the Opéra Royal de Versailles has asked the Saarland State Theatre of Saarbrücken, which has been staging each of the four Ring operas since last season, to come and present them at Versailles in a concert version: the singers will perform their roles without a score, and the orchestra and chorus will also be on stage.

Since it was founded in 1786, the Saarland State Theatre has become one of the most renowned theatres, ballet and opera houses in Germany, with seven hundred performances and 200,000 spectators every season.  Its National Orchestra, founded in 1912, has been led by great resident conductors, especially in recent decades, such as Jiří Kout, Christof Perick and Jun Märkl. France’s Sébastien Rouland has held the role since 2018, and will be conducting the entire Tetralogy.

It is a tradition for every German opera house to regularly stage a production of the Ring.  The singers of the permanent troupe, for whom it represents a core element of the repertoire, are joined here by guest soloists who perform the major roles in all German-language operas. As such, the Saarbrücken Theatre will be presenting a project, rooted in one hundred and fifty years of practice, at Versailles over a four-year period. After the success of The Rheingold in May 2023 comes the second instalment – and the first day – of the cycle.

With The Valkyrie, Wagner reached the peak of lyric art: the hero stands out for his exceptional force, while the famous Ride of the Valkyries earned the work a place among the world’s best-known pieces of music. A true masterpiece!

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