Die Walküre review

Wagner’s Ring can be seen through any number of lenses – political, social or personal. In this version, Staunton writes in a programme note, that the “comedic elements” stressed in Rheingold fade away as Wotan, warped by his pursuit of the all-powerful ring, must face the consequences of his actions.

Keel Watson’s Wotan is a study in regret, his brooding only interrupted by flashes of anger as his best-laid plans are foiled by his obligations, not least to his wife Fricka (an excellent Ingeborg Novrup Børch). Fricka persuades him that he must order Brünnhilde (superbly sung by Catharine Woodward) to kill his son Siegmund, whose incestuous relationship with Sieglinde violates all the godly rules that Fricka enforces. It is Brünnhilde’s defiance of this order that sets up the next opera Siegfried. Brian Smith Walters is a solid Siegmund, while Justine Viani transforms from the downtrodden wife of Hunding into a radiant Sieglinde, Siegmund’s eternal love (and sister, just to recall Fricka’s objection to the match). Dressed in an ill-fitting three-piece suit, Gerrit Paul Groen makes an effectively menacing Hunding.

The less-is-more philosophy of this Walküre extends to the music, ably overseen by Ben Woodward, who rearranged the 90-piece Wagner score for a 21-piece ensemble that he also directs. Only occasionally does one miss the richness of a full orchestra, particularly when a lush passage must be handled by a few players rather than an entire string section.

The audience rose to its feet at the end of the performance – a good omen for the remainder of the cycle. It continues through next year and culminates in winter 2024. During an interval, I checked out the view from balcony and overheard an audience member selecting a seat for next year’s cycle; this may just be the best value Wagner going.