Composed by Richard Wagner
Libretto by the composer
The second and most popular installment of Wagner’s Ring cycle, Die Walküre is a saga of forbidden love, heroism, and the conflict between personal ambition and desire and the rule of law, recounting the tragic love story of long-lost twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, and how a daughter’s defiance secures the future of humanity but foretells the ultimate destruction of the gods.
Last Performed at WNO: March 24, 28, April 1m, 5, 9, 14, 17, 2007
Kennedy Center Opera House
Sung in German with English supertitles
New Production
Co-production with San Francisco Opera Association
This new production was made possible through the generous support of H. Alexandra Kauka.
Siegmund: Plácido Domingo
Sieglinde: Anja Kampe
Hunding: Gidon Saks
Wotan: Alan Held
Brünnhilde: Linda Watson
Fricka: Elena Zaremba/Elizabeth Bishop
Gerhilde: Jane Ohmes
Helmwige: Caroline Thomas
Waltraute: Stacey Rishoi
Schwertleite: Heidi Vanderford
Ortlinde: Beverly O’Regan Thile
Siegrune: Claudia Huckle ‡
Grimgerde: Magdalena Wor *‡
Rossweisse: Rebecca Ringle *
Conductor: Heinz Fricke
Director: Francesca Zambello
* Washington National Opera Debut
‡ Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist
Die Walküre photo by Karin Cooper for Washington National Opera.