GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG

(Deborah Voigt as Brünnhilde)

Opera Live fans have been delighted by the extraordinary fifth season of the Met Opera currently screening exclusively at Cinema Nouveau and select Ster-Kinekor Theatres. The next unforgettable production is Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, from March 2.

“Due to the success of our previous Opera Live productions, we have extended the screenings to include select Ster-Kinekor Theatres in addition to the Cinema Nouveau sites, reaching as wide an audience as possible. Our successful attendances reinforce the fact that opera is widely appealing to our local market and we are confident that Götterdämmerung will keep audiences mesmerised this March,” says Raksha Singh of Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung or The Ring, for short).

The prologue is set on the Valkyries' rock. Three Norns* spin the rope of Fate, recalling Wotan's days of power and predicting the end of the Gods. When the rope breaks they descend in terror to their mother, Erda, goddess of the earth. At dawn Siegfried and his bride, Brünnhilde, emerge from their cave (Zu neuen Taten). Though fearful that she may lose the hero, she sends him forth to deeds of valour. As a token of his love, Siegfried gives Brünnhilde the magic Ring he took from Fafner, and she gives him her horse Grane in exchange. Passionately they bid farewell as Siegfried sets off into the world (Rhine Journey) and so the opera continues.

(*Taken from Norse mythology, The Norns are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men)

The Met Opera production is conducted by Fabio Luisi and hosted by Patricia Racette. Götterdämmerung stars are Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde); Wendy Bryn Harmer (Gutrune); Waltraud Meier (Waltraute); Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried); Iain Paterson (Gunther); Eric Owens (Alberich), and Hans-Peter Konig (Hagen). The running time is approximately 7 hours, including three intermissions.

The other opera productions to look forward to this season are: Verdi’s Ernani (March 16); Massenet’s Manon (April 27), and Verdi’s La Traviata (May 4).

The film will be released in KZN at Cinema Nouveau at Gateway and Ster-Kinekor at Shelly Beach.

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