Okka von der Damerau & Brian Mulligan Headline Staatsoper Stuttgart’s Revolutionary ‘Walküre’

(Credit: Mathias Leidgschwendne) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced a unique new production for Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” In an official press statement, the company revealed that three different directors would be taking on the opera, one director per act. Taking on Act one will be Dutch theatre collective Hotel Modern. Light designer Urs Schönebaum will take over Act two while visual {…}

Regietheater or Werktreue – What Should Be the Role of Directors in Opera?

In a 2019 article, Lynn René Bayley castigated modern opera for its “bastardization” of its sacred origins. She declared that the post-modernist operatic aesthetic relies too much on brazen sexuality and enigmatic “shock-value,” with such dependencies producing nothing but “gutter trash” performances that are poisoning the artform’s contemporary credibility. After having expressed her disgust at Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory-themed take on Wagner’s {…}

Iréne Theorin & Christopher Ventris Lead ‘Die Walküre’ at Icelandic Opera

(Credits: Chris Gloag / Tanja Niemann) The Icelandic Opera has announced that it will stage Wagner’s iconic work “Die Walküre.” The opera will star Iréne Theorin as Brünnhilde, Ólafur Kjartan Sigurõarson in the role of Wotan, Christopher Ventris as Siegmund, Claire Rutter as Sieglinde, Christa Mayer as Fricka, and Kristinn Sigmundsson in the role of Hunding. Eva Ollikainen conducts the {…}