The public first encountered Das Rheingold in September 1869, with Die Walküre premiering in June 1870. Both performances were staged at Munich’s Royal National Theatre at the impatient urging of Wagner’s devoted patron, King Louis II of Bavaria. Although each of the Ring operas can be performed as a separate work, Die Walküre is perhaps the part of The Ring of the Nibelung that stands most readily on its own and, being integrally connected to the German Romantic opera tradition, is the one most often and most willingly performed as an independent work. The exceptional quality of Müpa Budapest’s Ring cycle, imprinted from the beginning by the artistic direction of Ádám Fischer, derives from the extraordinary performances by the singers as they tackle the four works on four consecutive days, in accordance with the composer’s instructions. Taking the stage as Brünnhilde at this year’s performance is one of the most significant contributors to the history of the Wagner Days, the Swedish dramatic soprano Iréne Theorin. She is not the only one who clashes with Johan Reuter’s Wotan: so does Atala Schöck, as Fricka. Singing Siegmund will be Danish tenor Magnus Vigilius, whom the Müpa Budapest audience will remember from the 2021 online broadcast, with Jongmin Park – who made his debut here by jumping in as Hunding in 2022 – also returning in 2024 to shine both in that role and as Fafner. Sieglinde will be portrayed by Karine Babajanyan, who made her Budapest Wagner Days debut in the same role in 2022, to great acclaim.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest