Wagner: Die Walküre ****
Opera North, Royal Festival Hall, 29th June 2016
In Anna Russell’s wittily deadpan analysis of Wagner’s Ring cycle, she describes Wotan as “the head god” – pausing for dramatic effect before adding “and he’s a crashing bore too.” Wotan can be just that, especially in Act II of Die Walküre where he gets embroiled in a lengthy debate on marriage with his wife Fricka – which he loses – before providing daughter Brünnhilde with some generous backstory. It’s a tricky scene to bring off, but taut performances in this second leg of Opera North’s London Ring cycle made it crackle with tension.
Lee Bisset (Sieglinde)
© Clive Barda
Read the full review on Bachtrack.