Opera North prepares for second instalment

By lies, cheating and theft, the gods are now safely installed in their fortress of Valhalla, little knowing that on earth those lies are about to unravel when the amorous adventures of the philandering head of the family, Wotan, are discovered.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Jun 2012, 07:00 BST

That is the scene the director, Peter Mumford, will unveil as Opera North embark on Die Walkure, their second instalment of Wagner’s epic opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, and continuing last year’s presentation of Das Rheingold.

Taking the work into the Leeds Town Hall offered the full scope of the symphony orchestra Wagner envisaged, and the many misgivings of divorcing it from the theatre were swept aside by Mumford’s brilliant concept of a fully-staged concert version. “My design structure was to devise a visual experience with projected backdrops to create a scenario that would simply tell the story without distractions, That meant the cast wearing the clothes of our time, with a few added colours to help characterisation.

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“I realised the possibility of using a cinematograph style presentation when working on the lighting of Scottish Opera’s Ring, and was delighted to be invited by Opera North to work on that potential with their music director, Richard Farnes.’

With an international cast of Wagnerian singers, the star studded line-up includes Clive Bayley, whose recording of Walkure is just released (see CD Review opposite); Alwyn Mellor and the Swedish soprano Annalena Persson take the roles of Sieglinde and Brunnhilde.

Die Walkure, Leeds Town Hall, June 16, 4.30pm; Jun 20 & 27, 5pm. 0113 2243801.

Related topics:Valhalla