Staatsoper Hamburg, ‘’Götterdämmerung’’ of Richard Wagner

The curse of the ring runs its course in the final chapter of Wagner's epic music drama. The Twilight of the Gods begins with the rapturous love shared by Brünnhilde and Siegfried. But the evil Hagen plots against Siegfried, first administering a magic potion of forgetfulness and then murdering him. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Brünnhilde heroically cleanses the ring of its curse, and the reign of the gods comes to an end in a spectacular finale unparalleled in opera. With the premiere of ''Götterdämmerung'', on the 17 October, musical director Simone Young, director Claus Guth and stage designer Christian Schmidt complete their triumphant Hamburg ''Ring''production. Simone Young is musical director of this production. The role of Siegfried is sung by Christian Frantz. The prestigious Wagner-tenor also interpreted the title role in the Hamburg production of ''Siegfried'' and sung the part various times at the Bayreuth festival. Deborah Polaski ist coming back to Hamburg as Brünnhilde, in the Hamburg »Walküre« she sang also the part of the fearless daughter of Wotan in 2008. It was with exactly this role in Harry Kupfer’s 1988 staging of Wagner’s Ring in Bayreuth that Deborah Polaski emerged as one of the world’s great dramatic sopranos. Now she is doing the part in Hamburg. The baritone Wolfgang Koch returns to Hamburg State Opera in the role of Alberich, he did a triumphant interpretation of this part in ''Rheingold'' and ''Siegfried''. The Bass-baritone John Tomlinson sings Hagen, he gave his Hamburg debut as Jacopo Fiesco in a new production of »Simon Boccanegra« in 2006. The cas

also features Robert Bork (Gunther), Anna Gabler (Gutrune), Petra Lang/Deborah Humble

(Waltraute), Deborah Humble (1. Norn), Cristina Damian (2. Norn), Katja Pieweck (3. Norn), Ha Young Lee (Woglinde), Maria Markina (Wellgunde) and Ann-Beth Solvang (Flosshilde).

Premiere A: 17 October 2010, 5 pm

Premiere B: 21 October 2010, 5 pm

Performances: 27 and 31 October, 7 and 14. November 2010, 5 pm

(press release)