The WNO’s production of Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle kicks-off with the Director’s presentation, featuring Francesca Zambello and a world-class cast and crew.
Washingtonians have eagerly awaited WNO’s first complete Ring Cycle, Richard Wagner’s extraordinary four-opera saga of gods and men, giants and dwarves. First performed as separate WNO productions before being presented as a full cycle in San Francisco, The Ring in its entirety now returns to the nation’s capital, to be staged in three complete cycles across three weeks. Conceived and directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and conducted by Music Director Philippe Auguin, the production brings together a world-class cast including British soprano Catherine Foster (Brünnhilde, Cycles I & II), Swedish soprano Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde, Cycle III), American tenor Daniel Brenna (Siegfried), American bass-baritone Alan Held (Wotan/The Wanderer), and many other top artists, including several reprising their roles from the original Washington productions. Additional events, ranging from expert-led lectures and engaging symposia to convenient dining options, give audiences even more ways to explore and celebrate The Ring’s WNO homecoming. Spectacularly evoking the mythology of America, Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed production draws provocative parallels between Wagner’s fantastical drama and civilization’s corruption of nature. The struggle for the possession of a powerful ring drives this extraordinary series of operas, in which the stakes—control of the entire world—could not be higher.
