“They are rushing toward their own ruin, they who are so confident of their own existence,” prophesies Loge at the end of Rheingold. And then, in Walküre, Wotan becomes painfully aware that he’s borrowed more than he can afford in order to build Valhalla, and confides in his daughter Brünnhilde that his plans have foundered – and that he wishes only for the end. Time and again, Alberich’s curse strikes, always demanding a new sacrifice: Love or power — but never both. Siegmund and Sieglinde, the twin lovers, tasted the power of the Ring, and fell victim to its curse. But one final hope remains, one final chance to win the Ring of the Nibelungs back from Fafner. Siegfried, a new hero, who never learned to be afraid. But this naive child of nature is bound to fall victim to the ice-cold machinations of an ever-coarsening society, in which love, friendship, truth, and loyalty are increasingly disregarded. In the end, a complete collapse of the existing world is the only way to guarantee a new beginning. Wagner’s The Twilight of the Gods describes the transition from nature to civilization, from the world of gods to the world of men, from legend to reality – until the apocalyptic moment when nature returns, with all of her force. The myriad musical motives coalesce in this, the final part of Wagner’s tetralogy. They culminate in Brünnhilde’s immolation scene, when once again the entire world of the Ring passes before our eyes. The Twilight of the Gods is perhaps the most exciting story that Wagner ever wrote: A thrilling psychological tale of love, power, and betrayal, and performing the opera is a tour de force for soloists, choir and orchestra. Ulf Schirmer, former managing director and general music director of the Oper Leipzig, leads the Gewandhausorchester.

The Twilight of the Gods

Oper Leipzig

Kay and Gerta's journey to the Snow Queen and into the depths of the human soul.

The Snow Queen

Semperoper Dresden

Conceived as a preliminary evening to Wagner’s interpretation of world mythology, »Das Rheingold« introduces the central themes of this tetralogy: »Only he who renounces the power of love« can form the Rheingold into a ring that promises its bearer power over the world. It is the low E-flat in the strings that gives us the musical manifestation of the idea of a natural primitive state. But once Alberich steals the Rheingold, a chain of events are set in motion: Wotan’s megalomaniacal plan to build a structure representative of gods’ long-lost authority is followed by Alberich’s betrayal at Wotan and Loge’s hand and Alberich’s subsequent curse. The murder of Fasolt by his brother Fafner ensues. Not even Erda, with her wisdom and warning, can stop the chain of events from unfurling.

Das Rheingold

The Young Siegfried (the original title of Wagner’s libretto) tells the story of the son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, the Wälsung pair. After his father’s death at Hunding’s hand, and his mother’s death in childbirth, Siegfried is raised by Mime. Siegfried tells the story of a young man railing against his foster father, who, though he claims to have the boy’s best interests at heart, is only interested in Siegfried as a part of his plan to claim the treasure of the Niebelungen from Fafner the dragon. Only one who has no fear can defeat Fafner. And so Siegfried forges his sword, slays Fafner, and claims the ring and the Tarnhelm for himself.

Siegfried

They want to live solely for art and love: the singer Floria Tosca and the painter Mario Cavaradossi. Yet they find themselves caught in a deadly whirlpool of political and personal power struggles. Cavaradossi sympathizes with the ideals of a liberal republic, but at the same time paints Madonnas for the ultra-conservative Roman clergy. When he helps a fugitive republican find refuge, the police chief Baron Scarpia, who has established a reign of terror in Rome to suppress republican aspirations, becomes suspicious of him. To achieve two goals at once—to eliminate Cavaradossi and to subjugate his lover Tosca—Scarpia devises a truly diabolical plan: He has Cavaradossi arrested and tortured in Tosca's presence, and then makes her an extortionate offer...

Nicola Reichert

Events

Upcoming events

13 - 26 Jun, 2026

Tosca · Theater Lübeck

Past events

10 - 25 Jan, 2026

The Twilight of the Gods · Oper Leipzig

Dec 7, 2025 - Jan 8, 2026

The Snow Queen · Semperoper Dresden

About

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