Wagner – Der Ring des Nibelungen Cycle
Sundays in November
On four consecutive Sunday afternoons in November, Stingray Classica broadcasts Richard Wagner’s legendary opera cycle 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', performed by the Dutch National Opera in 2014 under the musical direction of Hartmut Haenchen and in the stage direction of Pierre Audi. Both conductor and director expressed the ambition to produce a very intimate version of Wagner, with the large orchestra performing with chamber music intensity, acoustically less loud than the traditional Wagnerian orchestration. Richard Wagner is perhaps the greatest innovator of the opera genre in the nineteenth century and aimed for the creation of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, in which theatre, music and words were united. The cycle is composed between 1853 and 1874, and consists of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. Noteworthy in Wagner's operas is the use of the so-called ‘Leitmotiv’, a melodic motif that represents a certain idea or character. Moreover, Wagner uses unconventional harmonies and very extensive orchestral instrumentation. The entire opera cycle is still performed annually at the Bayreuth Festival, where it saw its premiere in 1876.
Wagner - Das Rheingold
Sunday, November 7 | 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'. 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, November 14 | 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'. 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, November 21 | 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'. 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, November 28 | 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'. 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.
