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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the second installment of Lyric’s new
Ring
cycle.
Die Walküre
continues the exciting journey
this company has undertaken with this
Ring
, which began so auspiciously last season with
Das Rheingold
. Our production team’s
intention to reclaim the
Ring
for the theater has proven truly illuminating, and I know their insights will continue to enrich our
operagoing as the
Ring
proceeds.
Of course, each of the four
Ring
operas is musically and dramatically
stupendous, but there are certain qualities in
Die Walküre
that have inspired not
simply admiration and awe, but also affection and, yes, love. This opera’s impact
goes directly to the heart – it’s that simple. Can there be any moment more ecstatic
in opera than Sieglinde’s riveting cry of “Siegmund!” when she recognizes her long-
lost brother? And is any operatic farewell more touching than Wotan’s final words to
his favorite daughter, Brünnhilde?
Our director, David Pountney, whose
Ring
at Lyric is his first production of
the complete cycle, has described
Die Walküre
as an Ibsen drama. I agree, in that
Wagner is drawing us in an intensely concentrated way into the inner workings of
family relationships. As so often in Ibsen, we’re provoked and intrigued as much by
what is said as by what remains hidden. All the principals are complex figures, who
deal with the most profoundly life-changing situations. The miracle of
Die Walküre
is in the sheer
humanity
that emerges from Wagner’s music – in each and every
phrase, character is revealed with unerring insight.
I’m constantly struck by the sheer beauty, as well as the excitement, of this
music, from the ravishing arias of Siegmund and Sieglinde to Brünnhilde’s hair-
raising battle cry and the exhilarating “Ride of the Valkyries.” And the opera closes
with a scene for Wotan and Brünnhilde for which “sublime” is the only word.
No company can present any portion of the
Ring
without a truly remarkable
conductor. I am thus very grateful at the thought that our company’s music director,
Sir Andrew Davis, is leading the new
Ring
. There could hardly be a more glorious
way to celebrate Andrew’s thirtieth anniversary at Lyric than with
Die Walküre
, which will certainly communicate both the majesty
and the intimacy that have made his Wagner performances so rewarding.
It’s often said that the world is severely lacking appropriate singers for the Wagner repertoire, but Lyric in recent seasons has
proven repeatedly that we can cast these operas thrillingly. I’m especially excited about the principals we’ve assembled for this
season’s
Die Walküre
. Christine Goerke (Brünnhilde), Eric Owens (Wotan), and Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund) have all given
superb performances at Lyric that have established all three as audience favorites, and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner made a marvelous
debut with us in last season’s
Das Rheingold
. I’m delighted that we can welcome to the company for the first time two other major
Wagnerians from Europe – Swedish soprano Elisabet Strid (Sieglinde) and Estonian bass Ain Anger (Hunding).
I know this production will enthrall you to such a degree that you’ll be eager to return in the next two seasons to continue the
Ring
journey with us.
From the General Director
STEVE LEONARD
Anthony Freud
General Director, President & CEO
The Women’s Board Endowed Chair
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November 1 - 30, 2017