Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (‘The Ring of the Nibelung’) comprises four operas of which Die Walküre (‘The Valkyrie’) is the second, famous for its spectacular set-pieces such as the Ride of the Valkyries and Wotan’s Farewell. The plot focuses on the lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde and on the disobedience of the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, who defies the edict of Fricka, the goddess of marriage, to punish them. With Die Walküre Wagner achieved a perfect synthesis of poetry and music. Sir Donald Runnicles conducts an internationally acclaimed cast in this innovative new production by Norwegian director Stefan Herheim.

The individual operas from the acclaimed Deutsche Oper Berlin Ring cycle released in DVD (2107001) and Blu-ray (NBD0156VX) sets on Naxos in November 2022 are now being made available to buy separately starting with Das Rheingold (2110740/NBD0157V), then Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.

It is directed by the award-winning Norwegian director Stefan Herheim who is acclaimed as one of the most important directors of the moment, known for his emphasis on the historical contexts of ideas.

Wagner expert Sir Donald Runnicles, in addition to working with the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, is currently continuing his Ring interpretations at the opera houses of Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna and San Francisco, and at the BBC Proms in London, the Edinburgh International Festival and The Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The Hong Kong production of Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Jaap van Zweden is on 8501403. It was a Gramophone ‘Critic’s Choice’ of the year; ‘Jaap van Zweden and the Hong Kong PO fuse Solti’s energy, Karajan’s chamber aesthetic, Böhm’s impetuosity, Goodall’s detailed gravitas and Keilberth’s vivid scene-building to forge a freshly minted, standard-setting and sonically beguiling Ring cycle. Furthermore, Matthias Goerne’s Wotan is the best since James Morris and Hans Hotter’.

Cast:
- Siegmund: Brandon Jovanovich (tenor)
- Hunding: Tobias Kehrer (bass)
- Wotan: Iain Paterson (bass-baritone)
- Sieglinde: Elisabeth Teige (soprano)
- Fricka: Annika Schlicht (mezzo-soprano)