08/31/13 – DIE WALKURE – 1:00PM

San Francisco Opera

DIE WALKURE by Richard Wagner

Recorded Summer 2010, War Memorial Opera House

Wotan has fathered a mortal son, Siegmund, in order to recover the ring. Siegmund stumbles upon the home of Sieglinde, his unrecognized twin sister. Although Sieglinde is the wife of Siegmund’s sworn enemy, the two are mutually attracted and consummate their incestuous relationship. Wotan’s outraged wife Fricka, protector of marriage vows, demands that Wotan order his daughter, the warrior-maiden Brünnhilde, not to protect Siegmund, but to let him die in battle against Sieglinde’s husband. Disobeying Wotan, Brünnhilde tries in vain to prevent Siegmund’s death but rescues the pregnant Sieglinde. To punish Brünnhilde’s disobedience, Wotan puts her into a deep sleep, surrounded by fire, to await a mortal husband.

CAST/CREW

Sieglinde: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Siegmund: Christopher Ventris
Hunding: Raymond Aceto
Wotan: Mark Delavan
Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme
Fricka: Janina Baechle]
Gerhilde: Wendy Bryn Harmer
Helmwige: Tamara Wapinsky
Waltraute: Daveda Karanas
Schwertleite: Suzanne Hendrix
Ortlinde: Molly Fillmore
Siegrune: Maya Lahyani
Grimgerde: Pamela Dillard
Rossweisse: Priti Gandhi

Conductor: Donald Runnicles
Director: Francesca Zambello
Set Designer: Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer: Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer: Mark McCullough
Projection Designer: Ian Hartley
Projection Associate: S. Katy Tucker

photo credits: Corey Weaver

Tags:opera, Wagner