Farewell to the Gods

After 12 mega-performances including Aida, Carmen, Gioconda and the first three parts of the Ring Cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung: The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie and Siegfried, the Wrocław Opera is staging Twilight of the Gods on June 23 and 24 in Wrocław's Hala Ludowa. Over the two days some 5,400 will see the six-hour-long show.

In this, the fourth part of the tetralogy, the victorious Siegfried marries Brunhilda and gives her the Nibelung Ring as a symbol of his love and faithfulness, unaware of its terrible power. As law and order disintegrate, the destruction of both gods and humans becomes inevitable. Siegfried dies, his wife sacrifices her own life, and the Daughters of the Rhine regain the ring. This, however, doesn't save the gods.  

"The message that Wagner gives us in the opera is contemporary," says Ewa Michnik, conductor and director of the Wrocław Opera. "He wants to show that when they over-reach, when they want to use their power to acquire wealth, even the gods must cease to exist. Already in the 19th century, Wagner predicted that in the future, through greed and desire, humans would steal nature's treasures, leading to total destruction," she says.

The first ever staging of Twilight of the Gods in Wrocław is directed by Hans-Peter Lehman, and the part of Siegfried is co-performed by Leonid Zakhozhaev and Peter Svensson. The staging includes a 100-person choir and a 120-person orchestra. The famous scenes of the sunrise over the Rhine, the procession of mourners, the fire in Valhalla - the gods' temple, should prove a visual treat for those who attend the performance.