One way to approach the four operas of Richard Wagner’s cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen (the ring of the Nibelung), is as a “pair of pairs.” The focal point of the first two operas is Wotan, with his ambition to build Valhalla and the events he sets in motion from his position of power. On the other hand, each of the second two operas has a mortal of strong character as its focal point. The third opera is named after its character, Siegfried; and, as previously suggested, it provides some degree of “comic relief” from the seriousness of Wotan’s position. In the final opera, Götterdämmerung (twilight of the Gods), the focus is on Hagen; and his role is diametrically opposed to any suggestion of “comic relief.”
Hagen is the half-brother of Gunther, lord of the Gibichungs, and his sister Gutrune. They all have the same mother; but Hagen is the offspring of what was probably the rape of his mother by his father Alberich, the dwarf that foreswore love, stole the gold from the Rhine, and had in forged into the ring after which the cycle is named. In the second act of Götterdämmerung, Hagen encounters his father (who may or may not be a ghost) and is charged with the mission of killing Siegfried and recovering the ring.
When Francesca Zambello’s Ring staging for the San Francisco Opera (SFO) was performed in June of 2018, the total running time (including intermissions and bows) for Götterdämmerung was a little under five and a quarter hours. The first intermission took place at the conclusion of the first act, which was preceded by a two-scene prologue, all of which amounted to about two hours of uninterrupted performance. The only lengthier uninterrupted span took place at the very beginning of the cycle with Das Rheingold, which had no intermission and ran for about two and one-half hours (including bows).
Brünnhilde (Iréne Theorin) with Hagen (Andrea Silvestrelli, to the right) and the Gibichung clan committing to killing Siegfried (photograph by Cory Weaver courtesy of SFO)
While Götterdämmerung is often held up as opera’s greatest feat of endurance, the fact is that the narrative unfolds at even brisker rapidity than Siegfried. For one thing, the “backstory” tends to be kept to a minimum, with almost all of the action unfolding at an intense here-and-now pace. Yes, there are interruptions to this flow when backstory is necessary; but even those episodes have been endowed with momentum in Zambello’s staging. For example, many would view Siegfried’s encounter with the Rhine maidens at the beginning of the final act as the “calm before the storm” that will result in his death. However, while those river-nymphs were playing with their gold in Das Rheingold, Zambello now has them cleaning up a massive number of plastic bottles that have impeded the Rhine’s flow.
Richness of narrative also has much to do with characters being escalated above the level of mere stereotypes. The fact is that both Siegfried (tenor Daniel Brenna) and Brünnhilde (soprano Iréne Theorin) may have a passionate love scene to conclude Siegfried; but that scene has a generous share of familiar tropes, probably by Zambello’s own design. However, she seems to have approached Götterdämmerung as a series of “reality checks.” Hagen (bass Andrea Silvestrelli) is the key agent of those reality checks; but they are encountered not only by Siegfried and Brünnhilde but also by Gunther (baritone Brian Mulligan) and, with intense dramatic attention, by Gutrune (soprano Melissa Citro), who remains to “bear witness” to “the end of it all” brought on by Brünnhilde’s funeral pyre.
By virtue of these technical approaches to direction, this weekend’s video stream of Götterdämmerung emerges as an edge-of-your-seat viewing experience, even for those viewers that may take more breaks than are afforded by the intermissions!
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