Lance Ryan (Siegfried), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), Mikhail Petrenko (Hagen), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Alberich), Gerd Grochowski (Gunther), Waltraud Meier (Waltraute/Zweite Norn), Anna Samuil (Gutrune/Dritte Norn), Margarita Nekrasova (Erste Norn), Aga Mikolaj (Woglinde), Maria Gortsevskaya (Wellgunde), Anna Lapkovskaja (Flosshilde)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala, Daniel Barenboim, Guy Cassiers
Götterdämmerung, the final instalment of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, is a story of human passions. Two essentially benevolent creatures, involved with and possibly doomed by their traffic with the gods, find treachery and evil in the world of the humans, and are ruined by the dark side of humanity.
Iréne Theorin, acclaimed worldwide for her portrayal of Wagner’s heroines, stars as Brünnhilde opposite Lance Ryan, who continues his radiant portrayal of the tragic hero Siegfried. The strong cast also includes Mikhail Petrenko as the dark antagonist Hagen and Johannes Martin Kränzle, who once again shines as his father Alberich. Waltraud Meier has a memorable appearance as Brünnhilde’s sister Waltraute.
With this 2013 recording of Götterdämmerung, the musically and visually compelling Scala Ring Cycle by Daniel Barenboim and Guy Cassiers was completed and proved to be one of the highlights of the Richard Wagner bicentenary.
“The production scores a triumph in the use of light-dark imagery to mirror the archetypal forces at play, underscoring the music rather than overwhelming it with images.” Opera Today
Gramophone Magazine DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
Daniel Barenboim, Elgar Society medal – april 2014
