Event Info
Die Walküre
An Epic Serving of Fate
6:00pm
Event Description
A bold and robust masterpiece of musical storytelling, the iconic score of Wagner’s Die Walküre is a rich and sumptuous feast for the senses.
The vivid orchestration takes you deep into the world of Norse mythology, where cosmic fate devours illicit lovers and Valkyries soar on sweeping melodies.
A three-course (three-act) gourmet opera experience of a lifetime – come to explore the cycles of love, tragedy, and heroic feat.
Created for savoring and appreciating over the course of an evening or afternoon, this opera has an earlier start time for all performances.
Sung in: German with English Surtitles
Estimated Run Time: 5hrs (with 2 Intermissions)
Pre-performance talk: 1 hour before each performance
Part of Pacific Opera Victoria’s 2023/34 Season of Full Flavoured Opera
In Richard Wagner’s mesmerizing opera Die Walküre, the second installment of his epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, a dramatic tale of gods, heroes, and destiny unfolds. Set in a mythical world of gods and mortals, the story follows the intertwined fates of the brave warrior Siegmund and his long-lost twin sister Sieglinde. As their forbidden love blooms amidst a raging storm, they discover their true identities and their shared heritage as the offspring of Wotan, the mighty ruler of the gods. However, their passionate bond sets off a chain of events that threatens the balance of power in the divine realm.
Amidst this turmoil, the Valkyries, fierce warrior maidens who gather fallen heroes to Valhalla, come into play. Led by the bold and valiant Brünnhilde, they descend upon the human world to fulfill their sacred duty. But when Brünnhilde defies her father Wotan’s command and aids Siegmund, she becomes entangled in a web of divine consequences and faces dire repercussions. Die Walküre is a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and sacrifice, filled with iconic soaring melodies, powerful vocal performances, and breathtaking orchestral passages that transport audiences to a world of myth and legend; where destiny unfolds in a grand feast of emotions and grandeur.
“I hope many of you still have happy memories of our production of Das Rheingold; it was very well received by seasoned Wagnerians. In anticipation of Rheingold nine years ago, I wrote about our hopes for the production: “Certainly in the direction of Romantic opera of a certain scale, Der Ring des Nibelungen is the unchallenged ne plus ultra—an inscription found on the Pillars of Hercules and meant to stop ships from progressing further. The labour is indeed Herculean, and the ambition may smack of hubris, but we hope that our continuously unfolding saga of operatic adventure and exploration will find in this undertaking a climactic moment of collective achievement—a shared moment of glory.”
– Timothy Vernon, Founding Artistic Director
Venue
Royal & McPherson Theatre