Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, 3 October 2025

Richard Wagner: Götterdämmerung

Christian Thielemann shines like a beacon in the vast Wagner universe, drawing audiences from all directions to his newly revived Berlin Ring. For Götterdämmerung, however, visitors faced difficult conditions, as a demonstration was taking place directly in front of the opera house—an annoyance that made many shake their heads.

Still, the production—at times as gripping as Die Walküre—made the challenging journey worthwhile. That is, if one overlooks the director’s decision to populate the stage with elderly figures, as if the research center E.S.C.H.E. had been turned into a geriatric ward. Most strikingly, Jochen Schmeckenbecher’s Alberich: vocally compelling with his resonant baritone in the crucial scene ‘Schläfst du, Hagen, mein Sohn,’ determined to reclaim world power through the Ring—yet shuffling unsteadily in his underwear across the stage.

The Norns too, including Anna Kissjudit (earlier so commanding as Erda with her rich contralto), appeared unsteady, frail, and ready for a nursing home—a mystery left unexplained by the director.

By contrast, Brünnhilde’s morning with Siegfried was touching to watch: stirred by restless anticipation of his departure (‘Zu neuen Taten’), she rises, prepares breakfast while he showers, and together they savor a final moment of closeness, confirming their love and sealing their bond with a precious pledge before the inevitable farewell. Anja Kampe and Andreas Schager, with bright and enduring voices, embody Brünnhilde and Siegfried as a timeless couple in passionate rapture. At the same time, a shadow of unease lingers, a foreboding not only echoed in the orchestra pit but visible in Kampe’s worried, sorrowful glances.

The drama then accelerates with the Gibichung scenes, where Hagen—Wagner’s most vile character—sets his scheme in motion. Mika Kares, already terrifying as Hunding, and with a commanding bass voice ideal for such roles, portrays Hagen as a cold, ruthless strategist who manipulates Gunther and Gutrune to help seize Siegfried’s treasure. His repeated ‘Hoiho!’ chills the hall. Clara Nadeshdin’s Gutrune appears in this intrigue as a young woman, not exactly insignificant but naïve compared to Brünnhilde, unable to believe her luck in winning Siegfried. Too late, she realizes she should never have handed him the fatal potion that made him forget Brünnhilde.

Her brother Gunther, an ungrateful role, is sung by Lauri Vasar with a solid voice but a tight, constant vibrato, portraying him as a weakling who writhes in fear and shame when Brünnhilde publicly exposes his betrayal at their wedding.

The evening reaches another peak with Waltraute’s arrival (magnificent: Marina Prudenskaya with her dark, resonant mezzo). Her desperate plea to Brünnhilde to return the cursed Ring to the Rhinemaidens goes unheard, and doom takes its course.

Yet what would Götterdämmerung be without Thielemann’s masterful command of Wagner’s monumental score, leading the orchestra and Staatsoper chorus (prepared by Dani Juris) with the same demand for clarity of text as for precision of sound?

One could only marvel at the high strings’ precision in the dizzying, rapid passages during Siegfried’s encounter with the Rhinemaidens. Even looking at the score is enough to make one’s head spin.

And then come the overwhelming emotions of Siegfried’s Death, one of Wagner’s most sublime interludes. This passage always resounds loudly, but rarely with such monumental weight. The audience could even see the strain: Thielemann’s arms and baton, stretching high for the first time from the depths of the pit. A chill ran down the spine—and one wished this painfully beautiful music would never end.

Brünnhilde’s exhausting final scene followed, carried with dignity by Kampe, though the effort of her final high notes was clearly audible.

This much-applauded Götterdämmerung took on special significance through a sad occasion: Thielemann and the Staatskapelle dedicated the performance to the memory of their tubist Thomas Keller, who had helped shape the orchestra for 30 years, participated even in the final rehearsals for this revival, and then died suddenly and unexpectedly.