At the start of Das Rheingold, as the E-flat major evoking the swelling of the river is heard, one feels that this is the music of birth, of peace poured into sounds. Here, everything is still slumbering in its original immaculate state; the Rhinemaidens unsuspectingly swim around in the river's waves, teasing the lustful Nibelung. Perhaps one can use the time to think about what one is about to see and hear over the next four days? About a reinterpretation of myth, the depiction of an entire world, a fairy tale and a successful attempt to write the most sprawling work in music history?
And then the grand story begins. Wagner, who is so often presented as a tyrannical genius who brooked no contradiction, was actually quite considerate of his audience: the 'preliminary evening' provides us with a picture book, taking his devotees by the hand and leading them into the story and administering the thought-provoking problems and the gravity and complexity of the myth in gradual increments.
Johann Reuter's authoritative Wotan is a tried-and-true asset for Müpa Budapest's Ring series, as is Péter Kálmán's Alberich. And of course, it is always uplifting to watch the illuminatingly clear conducting of Ádám Fischer, the wise spiritual rector of the Budapest Wagner Days, as it faithful relays the work's profundity and power.

A music drama in four scenes (Updated version of the renowned production, in German, with surtitles projected in Hungarian and German).

Presented by: Müpa Budapest