Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold

In Das Rheingold, the “eve” of Richard Wagner’s operatic tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, the course is set for the apocalypse. It will be unleashed by two entirely opposing worldviews exploding into one another. The tragedy of Alberich, who, being mortal, believes he must take everything within his own lifetime. And the drama of Wotan, who in his, real or illusory, immortality must recognise the emptiness and sameness of being eternal.

With Das Rheingold, Tobias Kratzer will now stage the first part of Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk (synthesis of the arts), which will be completed in 2027. While the reception of Wagner’s music in recent decades tended to emphasise the human attributes of the gods and the entire Ring des Nibelungen often served as background for caustic critique of capitalism, the future General Manager of the Hamburg State Opera was especially interested in the motif of faith and its significance for today’s society. Because nowadays, gods tend to be relegated to a niche existence.

Vladimir Jurowski, Tobias Kratzer

Performances: 17.7 / 26.7.2027