Germany Wagner, Die Walküre: Soloists, Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Omer Meir Wellber (conductor). Hamburg State Opera, 3.10.2026. (DM-D)
This production of Die Walküre was premiered at Hamburg State Opera on 19th October 2008, the performance on 3rd October 2026 being the 42nd to date.
Director Claus Guth was an early representative of an interpretation portraying Wotan as the creator of all characters and events. The recent Saarbrücken and Cologne Ring cycles have moved the laboratory idea into the present day. In Guth’s 2008 production, Wotan was the puppeteer who held the strings, at least metaphorically. His lab lacked funding, if we want to place the minimalist, shabby sets of all three acts in the context of his concept. Act I took place on a display surface lit from below, with a typical red on/off switch familiar from multiple socket devices, with an IKEA-style table, two chairs, a stool and a sink on top of a two-door cabinet. A door in a frame moved around the room occasionally, as if by magic. When the curtain opened, Wotan, hardly lit, snapped his fingers to unfreeze Siegmund, then snapped his fingers again to unfreeze Sieglinde. Act II was set in Wotan’s office/workshop, complete with a desk featuring a model of his created world. Act III was set in a dingy room, some kind of institution with washable walls and two sinks in one corner, where the Valkyries were kept in drab uniform dresses and metal bunk beds on wheels. Their fear of Wotan was excessive. To prepare for her punishment, Brünnhilde placed a pillow on the dirty floor and lay down, clearly seeking to maintain some dignity. There was not a hint of anything special about either Wotan or his creation, and it was not particularly moving, for that matter. The universe Guth had created for the framework and the world that Wotan had created for himself were both consistently pale and dreary to look at, small-scale and ultimately sad.
Musically, the performance was exciting. Matthew Newlin had given his role debut as Siegmund only in May this year at Deutsche Oper Berlin. He has sung many smaller parts in Wagner operas in Bayreuth for some years now, and his voice was most certainly ready for Siegmund. He sounded fresh and lively throughout, a firm baritonal foundation served as the basis for a well-sustained higher register and a clear and open voice across a well- differentiated range of volumes. Impressive but not exaggerated calls of ‘Wälse!’ came with great ease. Vida Miknevičiūtė’s vibrato has become so fast that her voice almost sounds devoid thereof, comparable to the way the velocity of the wings of a hummingbird makes it impossible to perceive their individual beats. A most rare phenomenon, and her voice sounded strong, with well-developed lower register and clarion higher notes, in particular in her outburst ‘O hehrstes Wunder!’ in Act III.
Allison Oakes sang Brünnhilde with a voice that sounded very youthful throughout. She reached exposed top notes with ease, without pressure, and sustained the lower register with much vocal beauty. Derek Welton is establishing himself as a leading bass-baritone for Wotan, with a sonorously robust voice sturdy enough to retain the strength for the farewell outburst ‘Leb wohl’ to ring gloriously with the unrestrained orchestra. Ante Jerkunica was a very good Hunding, with strong breath control allowing him to sustain long arcs, particularly characteristic for this role and not often achieved. Annika Schlicht was very convincing as Fricka, providing vocal emphasis of her character’s insistence on getting her way and maintaining a fine balance between everyday marital altercation and the remnants of a deity’s dignity.
Omer Meir Wellber’s rendition of Act I was 60 minutes long, faster than average. His strident approach emphasised the interplay of instrumental groups throughout, on many occasions allowing the woodwind in particular to rise brightly above the supple and rich unison sound of the combined strings, where in turn the cellos and double basses came to the fore over the violas and violins. Only occasionally did the brass section take the front row in this soundscape.
The production served as a reminder of an interesting trajectory of interpretations of Wotan’s agency across this opera’s production history, while the casting demonstrated the strong future potential of some relative newcomers to their roles.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe
Featured Image: Die Walküre Act III in 2008 © Monika Rittershaus
Production:
Director – Claus Guth
Revival director – Petra Müller
Stage and Costume design – Christian Schmidt
Lighting design – Michael Bauer
Dramaturgy – Hella Bartnig
Cast:
Siegmund – Matthew Newlin
Hunding – Ante Jerkunica
Wotan – Derek Welton
Sieglinde – Vida Miknevičiūtė
Brünnhilde – Allison Oakes
Fricka – Annika Schlicht
Helmwige – Katie Lowe
Gerhilde – Esther Dierkes
Ortlinde – Mariana Poltorak
Waltraute – Katja Piewek
Siegrune – Ida Aldrian
Roßweiße – Aebh Kelly
Grimgerde – Iris van Wijnen
Schwertleite – Brigitte Listra