Orchestra of the Music Makers will present the Singapore premiere of Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried” on Sept. 5, 2026, at Esplanade Concert Hall. The performance, part of the ensemble’s continuing exploration of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle, will be given in semi-staged form under conductor Lü Shao Chia, with Tan Shou Chen directing. The cast is led by Vincent Wolfsteiner in the title {…}
(Photo Credit: Bernd Uhlig) Deutsche Oper’s Ring Cycle started promisingly with an original staging of “Das Rheingold,” with provocative ideas, irreverence and even humor. However, unfortunately it continued with a constant rehashing of ideas, which proved inadequate for the gigantic enterprise that is Wagner’s “Ring.” After a vocally satisfactory but scenically uninspired “Die Walküre,” matters deteriorated considerably on May 29 {…}
(Credit: ©2026 Monika Rittershaus) Despite the numerous positive accounts of Barrie Kosky’s “Siegfried” that gave me hope for a rich and nuanced performance, I found the singing, acting and stage design to be flat, unconvincing and shallow. As a devoted Wagnerite, I do not feel that most of the performers truly understood the vast musical work that they were performing. {…}
When they first appeared on European stages a quarter century ago, Calixto Bieito’s stagings were considered revolutionary, typified by their linear contours and geometric shapes. Typically, he deconstructs an opera and then rebuilds it incorporating rarely seen elements. In earlier years, this was refreshing and provocative. However, it’s a sad sight indeed when a once iconoclastic director routinely regurgitates past {…}
The Atlanta Opera Film Studio has released three new cinematic opera films adapted from the company’s acclaimed stage productions of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Produced by The Atlanta Opera’s Carl W. Knobloch Jr. General and Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun and Film Studio Director Felipe Barral, the films transform the stage productions into full-length movie experiences designed for global streaming audiences. {…}
(Photo credit: Daniel Boud) At the end of Act one of the Sydney Symphony’s “Siegfried,” on November 13th at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, one may have sensed from the onstage performers’ elation that Simon O’Neill as Siegfried, Gerhard Siegel as Mime, and conductor Simone Young knew they had nailed it. The audience’s applause was long and enthusiastic. A {…}
(Photo: Sofia Opera & Ballet) Director Plamen Kartaloff’s newest production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” holds a very special place in the opera world. Sofia Opera and Ballet premiered this production in 2023 and OperaWire reviewed its arrival and aesthetic developments in full, detailing how “in a country with a population of less than seven million people, the cycle was {…}
(Photo Credit: Brescia e Amisano ©) This “Siegfried”… a popular musical in myth? Given the audience’s warmly animated reactions, as one witnessed upon attending various performances of its run, it would appear so. The lively, evocative melodic themes in this, the third of four operas of “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” are sustained by all the symbolic ingredients of a fairy {…}
(Photo by Felipe Barral) The Atlanta Opera is providing an exclusive live stream replay of “Siegfried.” The stream of the May 2, 2025 performance started streaming for a limited time on May 4, 2025. The production stars Stefan Vinke in the title role, was conducted by Roberto Kalb, and was directed by Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director {…}
The Atlanta Opera continues its 2024-25 season with Wagner’s “Siegfried.” Tomer Zvulun will direct the new production, which will be presented between April 26 and May 4, 2025, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. The cast includes Stefan Vinke as Siegfried, Greer Grimsley as the Wanderer, and Lise Lindstrom as Brünnhilde. The cast is rounded out by Rodell Rosel as Mime, Zachary Nelson {…}
The current “Der Ring des Nibelungen” at Staatsoper Berlin came into being in October 2022 directed by Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov and due to be conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Sadly, though, Maestro Barenboim, had to pull out of the production because of severe health issues, a great blow to all, but so disappointing for Barenboim in his 80th year. {…}