DIE WALKÜRE Wagner – Longborough Festival Opera

Siegmund and Sieglinde find themselves drawn together during a storm. Unbeknown to them their father Wotan, chief of the gods, hopes through Siegmund to retrieve a ring of ultimate power. Die Walküre stands at the pinnacle of Romantic musical drama. Barely has the curtain opened when Wagner unleashes orchestral writing that sweeps everything away in its path. Storm, incest, divine wrath, irrepressible passion: everything is there to announce the tortuous destiny of the heroes. Through a composition in which every instrument contributes to the tragedy, Wagner begins the story proper, illuminating words and scenes with his famous leitmotifs that run beneath the singers, pass into their voices, transform and resurface as the plot develops. It is not surprising that Die Walküre (second part of the Ring of the Nibelung) is widely regarded as the most popular and the most moving. Likened to a Bayreuth in the English countryside, Longborough Festival stages a new production following the socially-distanced concert performance of Die Walküre in 2021. This new 2024 production is seen for the first time as part of Longborough’s 2024 Ring cycle. It is directed by Amy Lane, Artistic Director of Copenhagen Opera Festival, and conducted by Anthony Negus, Longborough Music Director and eminent Wagnerian. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 9 August 2024 at 19:00 CET to 9 February 2025 at 12:00 CET: CAST Siegmund Mark Le Brocq Sieglinde Emma Bell Wotan Paul Carey Jones Fricka Madeleine Shaw Brünnhilde Lee Bisset Hunding Julian Close Gerhilde Eleanor Dennis Ortlinde Cara McHardy Waltraute Rebecca Afonwy-Jones Schwertleite Verena Gunz Helmwige Katie Lowe Siegrune Carolyn Dobbin Grimgerde Katie Stevenson Rossweisse Rozanna Madylus Orchestra Longborough Festival Orchestra Music Richard Wagner Text Richard Wagner Conductor Anthony Negus Director Amy Lane Lights Charlie Morgan Jones Sets Rhiannon Newman Brown Costumes Emma Ryott Video Tim Baxter Assistant Conductor Harry Sever Assistant Director Leo Doulton Choreographer Lorena Randi OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. @operavision