Die Walküre review

“Admirable”

ReviewsFeb 12, 2025by Inge KjemtrupYork Hall, London

Brian Smith Walters and Justine Viani in Regents Opera's Die Walküre at York Hall, London. Photo: Tristram Kenton

Fierce Brünnhilde powers Regents Opera’s Walküre

In the second opera of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, the supremacy of the gods is in doubt. Cracks are forming in the facade of power, thanks to the corrupting power of the Ring and the actions of the Valkyrie of the title, Brünnhilde. In this admirable Regents Opera production, Brünnhilde is played to enormous effect by the fierce Catharine Woodward.

We first encounter Brünnhilde in the second act. She is boisterous and high-spirited, eager to serve her father, the leader of the gods Wotan (a dignified Ralf Lukas). She is tasked with bringing the heroic dead from the field of battle to Valhalla, the home of the gods. But this time, she fails to follow the assignment, swayed by the sad story of her intended target, Siegmund (Brian Smith Walters).

The miserable Siegmund has led a feral existence, wandering the forest with his father Wolfe (Wotan in disguise). Injured after a violent battle, Siegmund seeks shelter in the home of Hunding (Gerrit Paul Groen, appropriately unpleasant). Siegmund stretches hospitality to its limits: the people he has just killed in battle are kin to Hunding, while his host’s wife is revealed to be his twin sister Sieglinde (the excellent Justine Viani). Worse, the twins fall in love, give Hunding a sleeping potion and flee. Hunding vows bloody revenge in battle.

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Perhaps like one or two historical boxing matches at York Hall in Bethnal Green, the venue for Regents Opera’s Ring, the fix is in for this battle. Fricka (the splendid Ingeborg Børch), goddess of marriage, has persuaded her husband Wotan to change the outcome because Siegmund’s transgressions must be punished.

The production’s pacing picks up noticeably in the third act, as Brünnhilde, having rescued Sieglinde and defied Wotan, rushes to her Valkyrie sisters for protection. They are an energetic band, quirkily clad in what could be Vivienne Westwood cast-offs, a sharp contrast to Fricka and Wotan’s elegant, sheath-like clothing (designed by Isabella Van Braeckel).

Vocally and theatrically, the Walküre cast is very strong, with a sense of ensemble that may come from the fact that most are reprising their roles from the 2023 production. The support from the orchestra, directed by Ben Woodward, is resolute, but uneven at times; the smaller forces (23 compared to the full 80) allow for little buffer.

Much ink has been spilled trying to fathom the character of Brünnhilde – is she a daddy’s girl or an independent woman deciding her own fate? On this evidence, the Regents Opera comes down on the side of her self-determination. But two more operas in this Ring remain for this hypothesis to be fully tested.

Production Details

Production nameDie Walküre

VenueYork Hall

LocationLondon

Starts11/02/2025

Ends25/02/2025

Press night11/02/2025

Running time3hrs 50mins

ComposerRichard Wagner

LibrettistRichard Wagner

DirectorCaroline Staunton

ConductorBen Woodward

Set designerIsabella Van Braeckel

Costume designerIsabella Van Braeckel

Lighting designerPatrick Malmström

Cast includesBrian Smith Walters, Caroline Carragher, Catharine Woodward, Catherine Backhouse, Ralf Lukas, Justine Viani, Ingeborg Børch, Gerrit Paul Groen, Shannon Roberts, Magdalen Ashman, Grace Maria Wain, Charlotte Richardson, Ella de Jongh

Production managerAdam Smith

Stage managerAmy Moore

ProducerRegents Opera