The Rhine gold (Das Rheingold) , guarded by three nymphs, holds immeasurable power. When the dwarf Alberich renounces love to steal it, he unwittingly sparks a battle for domination which will stretch from the depths of the river to the mountaintop home of the gods.
Jonathan Dove‘s acclaimed Rheingold orchestration is performed in London for the first time since its premiere in the 1990s, with 18 live musicians from the Orpheus Sinfonia and an exceptional cast of singers, many of whom are giving role debuts.
“A key to any performance of the Ring is the director’s conception of who these people are, is this straight story telling about Germanic/Norse gods, a take down of capitalism or what? Bettina John’s imaginative set linked the balcony to the main playing area by a staircase made of ‘cardboard boxes’, with elements of the Ring’s iconography drawn on them, and on the floor. This meant that the work opened with what should have been the climax, the vision of the newly created Valhalla (drawn onto boxes piled high on the balcony). The idea of creating it out of the detritus around us, seemed to be central; Burbach’s programme note says ‘the story is triggered by a man stepping into a space that looks like something one might find in a Dalston back alley’. ” (Rober Hugill)
Adapted by Graham Vick and Jonathan Dove
Orchestrated by Jonathan Dove
Director Julia Burbach
Set and Costume Design by Bettina John
Music Director Peter Selwyn
Robert Price
Lighting Designer
Paul Carey Jones – Wotan
Claire Barnett-Jones – Fricka / Wellgunde
Gareth Brynmor John – Donner
Seth Carico – Alberich
Kiandra Howarth – Freia/Woglinde
Angharad Lyddon – Flosshilde
Philip Sheffield – Loge
Andrew Tipple – Fasolt
Marianne Vidal – Fricka/ Wellgunde
Harriet Williams – Erda
Dingle Yandell – Fafner
