The downfall of the gods is set into motion on this week’s Sunday Opera (7/28 3:00 p.m.) with Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” from London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
If only the three Rhein maidens Woglinde (Katharina Konradi), Wellgunde (Niamh O’ Sullivan), and Flosshilde (Marvic Monreal) hadn’t been so cruel to Alberich (Christopher Purves), he might not have stolen their gold and forged the ring which he later cursed, and if Wotan (Christopher Maltman) hadn’t been so greedy and stolen all of the gold stolen by Alberich - of course, Wotan had to get the gold to get Freia, the goddess of youth and beauty (Kiandra Howarth) and sister to his wife Fricka (Marina Prudenskaya), released from the clutches of the giants Fafner (Soloman Howard) and Fasolt (In-Sung Sim) who took her in payment for the elaborate castle they built for Wotan for which he never paid, and now, the gods are all quickly aging as a result. However, they were, Alberich did, Wotan was and did, and that’s why this whole epic happens.
Oh, and then, some other things happen…
Other members of the cast include Sean Panikkar as the demi-god of fire Loge, Wiebke Lehmkuhl as the earth goddess Erda, Kostas Smorigninas as Wotan’s brother Donner who is the god of thunder, Roderick Dixon as Froh, the god of spring and sunshine, and Brenton Ryan as Mime, Alberich’s brother who forges the ring.
The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden are conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.
The opera is performed as written: in one act.
After the performance, stay tuned when host Michael Kownacky will bring you a few more heroes from the “north” with Uumo Klami’s Kalevala Suite, Jean Sibelius’ “The Swan of Tuonela” from the Lemminkainen Suite and Pohjola’s Daughter, and finally, the anti-hero Peer Gynt through some very familiar music by Edvard Grieg.
