Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle
Sundays in May
May 22 marks the 212th birth anniversary of Richard Wagner (1813-1883). To celebrate the German composer’s music, Stingray Classica broadcasts Wagner’s magnum opus: the four-part music drama cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Wagner, arguably the opera genre’s greatest innovator in the nineteenth century, aimed for the creation of a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which theatre, music and words are united. His music is known for its so-called ‘Leitmotivs’, recurrent melodic motifs that represent a certain character, idea, or situation. Wagner used hundreds of Leitmotivs throughout his Ring cycle. The cycle consists of Das Rheingold (1869), Die Walküre (1870), Siegfried (1876), and Götterdämmerung (1876). Every Sunday afternoon in May, Stingray Classica presents one of these on at 14:00. These 2014 productions by the Dutch National Opera feature the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of maestro Hartmut Haenchen.
Wagner - Das Rheingold
Sunday, May 4 | 14:00
Hartmut Haenchen conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera in a production of Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold, the first opera of the four-part cycle 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Richard Wagner, perhaps the greatest innovator of the opera genre in the nineteenth century, aimed for the creation of a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which theatre, music and words are united. The opera cycle was composed between 1853 and 1874, and consists of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. Noteworthy about Wagner's operas is his use of the so-called ‘Leitmotiv’, a recurrent melodic motif that stands for a certain idea or character. Moreover, Wagner uses unconventional harmonies and very extensive orchestral instrumentation. The entire cycle is still performed annually at the Bayreuth Festival, where it premiered in 1876. This 2014 performance was recorded at Het Muziektheater Amsterdam under the artistic direction of Pierre Audi. Among the soloists are Thomas Johannes Mayer, Vladimir Baykov, Marcel Reijans, Stefan Margita, and Werner van Mechelen.
Wagner - Die Walküre
Sunday, May 11 | 14:00
Hartmut Haenchen conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera in a production of Richard Wagner's opera Die Walküre, the second opera of the four-part cycle 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Richard Wagner, perhaps the greatest innovator of the opera genre in the nineteenth century, aimed for the creation of a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which theatre, music and words are united. The opera cycle was composed between 1853 and 1874, and consists of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. Noteworthy about Wagner's operas is his use of the so-called ‘Leitmotiv’, a recurrent melodic motif that stands for a certain idea or character. Moreover, Wagner uses unconventional harmonies and very extensive orchestral instrumentation. The entire cycle is still performed annually at the Bayreuth Festival, where it premiered in 1876. This 2014 performance was recorded at the National Dutch Opera under the artistic direction of Pierre Audi. Among the soloists are Christopher Ventris, Kurt Rydl, Thomas Johannes Mayer, Catherine Naglestad, Catherine Foster, and Doris Soffel.
Wagner - Siegfried
Sunday, May 18 | 14:00
Hartmut Haenchen conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera in a production of Richard Wagner's opera Siegfried, the third opera of the four-part cycle 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Richard Wagner, perhaps the greatest innovator of the opera genre in the nineteenth century, aimed for the creation of a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which theatre, music and words are united. The opera cycle was composed between 1853 and 1874, and consists of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. Noteworthy about Wagner's operas is his use of the so-called ‘Leitmotiv’, a recurrent melodic motif that stands for a certain idea or character. Moreover, Wagner uses unconventional harmonies and very extensive orchestral instrumentation. The entire cycle is still performed annually at the Bayreuth Festival, where it premiered in 1876. This 2014 performance was recorded at the National Dutch Opera under the artistic direction of Pierre Audi. Among the soloists are Stig Andersen, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Thomas Johannes Mayer, Werner van Mechelen, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, and Marina Prudenskaja.
Wagner - Götterdämmerung
Sunday, May 25 | 14:00
Hartmut Haenchen conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera in a production of Richard Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung, the last opera of the four-part cycle 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Richard Wagner, perhaps the greatest innovator of the opera genre in the nineteenth century, aimed for the creation of a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which theatre, music and words are united. The opera cycle was composed between 1853 and 1874, and consists of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. Noteworthy about Wagner's operas is his use of the so-called ‘Leitmotiv’, a recurrent melodic motif that stands for a certain idea or character. Moreover, Wagner uses unconventional harmonies and very extensive orchestral instrumentation. The entire cycle is still performed annually at the Bayreuth Festival, where it premiered in 1876. This 2014 performance was recorded at the National Dutch Opera under the artistic direction of Pierre Audi. Among the soloists are Stig Andersen, Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester, Werner van Mechelen, Kurt Rydl, Catherine Foster, and Astrid Weber.