Detailed information
Composer
Ryszard Wagner
Duration
ACT I 65 min-interval 30 min-ACT II 90 min-interval 45 min-ACT III 70 min
Premiere at Baltic Opera Gdansk
Coproduction
Royal Danish Theatre and Greek National Opera
Where?
Sopot, The Forest Opera powered by Energa
Creatives
music direction, conductor
Axel Kober
direction
John Fulljames
revival director
Johanne Holten
set and costume design (based on Original Design for The Royal Danish Theatre by Tom Scutt)
Tom Scutt
lighting design
D.M. Wood
assistants conductor
Ralf Lange
Piotr Jaworski
deputy assistant conductor
Anastasiia Mudrakova
pianists, soloists' tutors
Yaryna Rak
Nataliia Gaponenko
director assistants
Magdalena Szlawska
Bartosz Śmigielski
stage manager
Piotr Borowy
Description
The Valkyrie is the second and most popular act of Richard Wagner's monumental tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung. This work masterfully blends Norse mythology with profound human drama, telling a powerful story of impossible love, betrayal, and the struggle for freedom.
The main plot revolves around the forbidden love of twin siblings, Siegmund and Sieglinde, who are the children of the god Wotan. Separated in childhood, they meet years later, unaware of their kinship. Their genuine affection for one another, however, violates the divine order.
THE VALKYRIE at the BALTIC OPERA FESTIVAL
The year 2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the world premiere of the tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelung, which took place in Bayreuth in August 1876. Through the presentation of The Valkyrie, the 4th Baltic Opera Festival joins the international celebrations of this jubilee.
The staged performance of the second part of Richard Wagner’s tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelung will be the central event of this edition of the festival. It is one of the most demanding and monumental works in the history of opera, lasting nearly five hours and posing immense artistic and logistical challenges for both its creators and the audience.
Although rooted in Germanic mythology, The Valkyrie is not merely a story about gods and heroes. By drawing on myth, Wagner creates a universal reflection on power, fate, morality, and human nature. Archetypal figures become a mirror of contemporary tensions—conflicts of values, crises of authority, and the anxieties accompanying rapid civilizational change.
An exceptional context for this work will be the Forest Opera in Sopot—a historic open-air Theatre of Nature, where Wagner’s myth will resonate with extraordinary force. The natural surroundings will serve not only as scenery but also as a symbolic backdrop for a story about the primordial origins of world order and its fragility.
The production is a co-production of the Royal Danish Opera (Copenhagen) and the Greek National Opera (Athens).
The main plot revolves around the forbidden love of twin siblings, Siegmund and Sieglinde, who are the children of the god Wotan. Separated in childhood, they meet years later, unaware of their kinship. Their genuine affection for one another, however, violates the divine order.
THE VALKYRIE at the BALTIC OPERA FESTIVAL
The year 2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the world premiere of the tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelung, which took place in Bayreuth in August 1876. Through the presentation of The Valkyrie, the 4th Baltic Opera Festival joins the international celebrations of this jubilee.
The staged performance of the second part of Richard Wagner’s tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelung will be the central event of this edition of the festival. It is one of the most demanding and monumental works in the history of opera, lasting nearly five hours and posing immense artistic and logistical challenges for both its creators and the audience.
Although rooted in Germanic mythology, The Valkyrie is not merely a story about gods and heroes. By drawing on myth, Wagner creates a universal reflection on power, fate, morality, and human nature. Archetypal figures become a mirror of contemporary tensions—conflicts of values, crises of authority, and the anxieties accompanying rapid civilizational change.
An exceptional context for this work will be the Forest Opera in Sopot—a historic open-air Theatre of Nature, where Wagner’s myth will resonate with extraordinary force. The natural surroundings will serve not only as scenery but also as a symbolic backdrop for a story about the primordial origins of world order and its fragility.
The production is a co-production of the Royal Danish Opera (Copenhagen) and the Greek National Opera (Athens).
Cast
Wotan
Tomasz Konieczny
Dominik Kujawa (cover – act 2)
Michał Romanowski (cover – act 1)
Siegmund
Stanislas de Barbeyrac
Wiktor Kowalski (cover)
Sieglinde
Izabela Matuła
Natalia Rubiś (cover)
Brünnhilde
Stéphanie Müther
Jadwiga Postrożna (cover)
Hunding
René Pape
Szymon Kobyliński (cover)
Baltic Opera Orchestra
Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra
Fricka
Małgorzata Walewska
Magdalena Pluta (cover)
Gerhilde
Katarzyna Wietrzny
Ortlinde
Natalia Rubiś
Waltraute
Magdalena Pluta
Schwertleite
Joanna Motulewicz
Helmwige
Annika Egert
Siegrune
Iwona Wall
Grimgerde
Anna Bernacka
Rossweisse
Barbara Bagińska
conductor
Axel Kober
Photos
9 Photos
