Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera
Tamara Wilson as Wotan’s Valkyrie warrior daughter Brüunhilde in Wagner’s "Die Walküre."
In a recent interview on New Mexico PBS’ ¡COLORES! program, conductor James Gaffigan says he would like audiences not to be intimidated by composer Richard Wagner’s operas and to simply lose themselves in the music. Gaffigan conducted the Santa Fe Opera’s 2022 premiere of Tristan und Isolde, and returns this season for its premiere of Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
Director Melly Still expresses a similar sentiment in her SFO interview with Michael Clive, noting that “it’s immensely rewarding to come to Die Walküre ‘clean,’ without heaps of Wagner baggage.”
In other words, you don’t need to have attended the daylong Wagner symposium the opera recently held to appreciate the German composer’s work. And if the opera’s length seems intimidating (about 41/2 hours with two intermissions), that’s what caffeine is for.
Of course, attending is one thing. Staying is another. This year’s premiere will keep most people in their seats.
In his discussion of Die Walküre and the “epic nature” of Wagnerian composition, Gaffigan references other epic tales, including Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Indeed, the story involves a ring, a magic sword, immortal beings—some of them nefarious—and, like all mythologies, an all-powerful father figure with a dubious moral center.
Fans of Norse mythology will recognize the characters. Fans of Greek mythology will relate to the opera’s preoccupation with destiny and fate. And fans of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer won’t be surprised when they don’t get a happy ending (as I noted in my review of Tristan und Isolde a few years back, Wagner held Schopenhauer’s pessimistic stance about human will in deep regard, and found it both fascinating and alarming).
Back to The Lord of the Rings.
Spectacle abounds in Still’s production (her Santa Fe Opera debut), with vertical and horizontal split-screen staging showing multiple characters in multi-storylines; special effects (think fog machines, projections and rope-play); and an occasional hint of steampunk aesthetic meets Bladerunner. Scenic and costume designer Leslie Travers, Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth and Wig and Makeup Designer David Zimmerman all have long histories at the Santa Fe Opera, and that experience combined to create a lush cinematic experience. Choreographer Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, in her SFO debut, imbued the stage with near-constant movement and energy, and the supernumeraries (operatic extras) enhance the rising tension and dramatic moments.
Admittedly, I found myself occasionally unable to heed Gaffigan’s missive to sink into the music. The music was phenomenal—every singer, every instrument—but so much was happening on stage throughout, it was hard not to ponder and analyze those choices as the story unfolded. Speaking of which.
In Act 1, Siegmund (tenor Jamez McCorkle in his SFO debut) enters a home built around a giant tree where, unbeknownst to him, his long-lost sister Sieglinde (the dazzling soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė, also in her debut here) resides with her husband Hunding (bass Soloman Howard, who also sings Colline in this season’s La bohème). Siegmund, it’s soon discovered, has killed Hunding’s relatives so he will have to kill Siegmund come morning. Sieglinde, however, drugs her husband and alerts her unexpected houseguest to the sword stuck in the aforementioned tree (covered up until now with a dish towel). Turns out Siegmund’s father put that sword there and, as his son, he is the only one who can extract it. Speaking of relatives, Sieglinde and Siegmund are brother and sister and now—mere mortals that they are—have fallen in love.
Their father, head god Wotan (bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, who may inspire you to come see the production twice), tells his supernatural Valkyrie daughter Brünnhilde (soprano Tamara Wilson, who debuted here in 2022 as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde to much acclaim and is funny and moving and mesmerizing in this production) to protect his mortal son Siegmund. Not so fast, says his wife Fricka (the wonderful mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, a former SFO apprentice). Supporting Siegmund and Sieglinde will undermine the larger goal of securing the gods’ stature (there’s some back story here involving a cursed ring and a dwarf). Wotan reverses course and tells Brünnhilde she needs to defend Hunding instead. But once Brünnhilde experiences the depth of Siegmund’s love for his sister/lover, she changes sides and defies her father. Siegmund dies anyway, but Brünnhilde rescues Sieglinde, her unborn child and pieces of Siegmund’s magical sword.
Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera
Ryan Speedo Green portrays Wotan in Wagner’s "Die Walküre."
As one might expect, none of this goes over well with Wotan, who strips Brünnhilde of her immortality and consigns her to sleep but, at her bequest—and having learned of yet another heir on the way—he calls upon the god of fire to encircle his favorite daughter so that only a true hero can awaken her. To be continued! (Spoiler alert: Siegmund and Sieglinde’s son Siegfried wakes her up in the third opera in the Ring Cycle, Siegfried).
Despite my cheeky recap, Die Walküre is a serious opera, but its cast and creators have gone to great lengths to make its heft accessible and even propulsive (I stole the title for this story from the Valkyrie cast's Spotify playlist, which includes “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper and “Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar).
Don’t like spectacle? Close your eyes and just enjoy the music.
Die Walküre
Music and libretto by Richard Wagner
8 pm July 30, Aug. 8, 13, 21
Seated ticket prices range from $37 to $409
SRO is $15
First-time buyers with New Mexico ID can receive 40% off a pair of tickets
Call or visit the Box Office for the most up to date information and pricing, or visit santafeopera.org
