Siegfried

The third of the four operas in Wagner’s epic Der Ring des Nibelungen, Siegfried (1876) is also the sunniest—filled with humour, adventure and the magic of first love. Deep in the woods, tended by the dwarf Mime, the orphaned Siegfried has grown to manhood without ever knowing the meaning of fear. A dragon’s gold, a sleeping goddess, and the shattered fragments of his father’s sword will all shape his destiny and set him on a path that leads to love, glory, and—perhaps—a new world. In many ways, Siegfried is a classic German fairy tale: a story of a young hero finding his way in an enchanted universe where birds know secrets, dragons guard magical treasure, and love comes to those courageous enough to seek it. But it’s also part of a much larger and darker story, in which a mysterious Wanderer watches over the young man’s journey, and Siegfried’s stepfather, Mime, harbours a more malevolent purpose. Wagner weaves themes of free will, courage, and redemption into a story that shimmers and glows with woodland magic, whether in the sparks of Mime’s forge, the ominous thunder of an approaching dragon, or the joyous, sunlit song of the Woodbird. Siegfried himself, meanwhile, is one of the mightiest tenor roles in all opera: the definitive “heldentenor”, as thrilling to hear as it is challenging to sing. About Wagner’s Ring Cycle The four operas of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen constitute one of the supreme achievements in Western art. Composed between 1848 and 1876, and first performed over four nights in a specially built opera house in Bayreuth, Germany, in 1878, the Ring cycle brings together every aspect of theatre—music, poetry, acting and visual imagery—to create what Wagner called a “complete artwork”: a universal drama of all-embracing richness and depth. Based on ancient Germanic myths, it’s a true modern epic: an eternal story of love and power, humanity and nature, told in music of overwhelming originality, insight and emotion.