Richard Wagner

An epic opera in Bendigo? Wagner’s ‘monumental’ Ring Cycle takes over a regional town

With 130 performers and crew, five tonnes’ worth of set and a 15-hour show on loop, it’s an unprecedented – and ambitious – five weeks for a company to take on

Tim Byrne

29, Mar, 2023 @2:00 PM

RPO/Petrenko review – dazzling Scriabin and spine-tingling Wagner

After a sombre opening, the ecstasies promised in the evening’s theme were reached with Wagner and Scriabin. The Royal Philharmonic and its new conductor are clearly enjoying themselves in this imaginative and accessible season

Martin Kettle

09, Feb, 2023 @5:42 PM

Tannhäuser review – Lise Davidsen gleams though Albery’s Wagner misfires again

Tim Albery’s second revival only fitfully illuminates the opera’s complexities, but the singing and acting are superb

Tim Ashley

30, Jan, 2023 @12:31 PM

Das Rheingold review – Regents Opera’s lean and mean Wagner packs a punch

Ben Woodward’s chamber arrangement of Wagner’s score works well and, if the storytelling feels unclear at points, players and singers alike ensure a vivid experience

Erica Jeal

14, Nov, 2022 @12:52 PM

The Ring Cycle review – ideas-free patchwork staging signals Bayreuth’s fading authority

Valentin Schwarz’s new staging of Wagner’s epic has some thought-provoking moments, but few were sustainable and most were just distracting

Martin Kettle

08, Aug, 2022 @3:20 PM

Das Rheingold review – no ring, no gold, instead child abuse and abduction drive Bayreuth’s new Ring

Austrian director Valentin Schwarz’s new Ring presents the bold and searing idea that the original sin that drives Wagner’s world of power is the abuse of children. Can it be sustained?

Martin Kettle

01, Aug, 2022 @10:11 AM

A knight’s tale: Brindley Sherratt on the stamina and storytelling of Wagner’s Parsifal

The bass is singing Gurnemanz in Wagner’s epic final opera. How do you get to grips with the challenges of such a demanding role – and still not get the best dressing room?

Brindley Sherratt

15, Jun, 2022 @9:00 AM

Parsifal review – the shimmering beauty of Wagner’s score shines

Richard Farnes and the Opera North orchestra take centre stage in Sam Brown’s staging of Wagner’s final opera, with Brindley Sherratt a compelling Gurnemanz and Toby Spence a thoughtful lead

Andrew Clements

02, Jun, 2022 @1:57 PM

Siegfried review – heft and heroics as Longborough again proves its Wagner chops

With a strong cast including Bradley Daley, Paul Carey Jones’s Wotan and Julieth Lozano’s delightful Woodbird, any weaknesses in the staging were more than compensated for

Rian Evans

31, May, 2022 @2:37 PM

The Valkyrie review – a striking, uneven start to ENO’s Ring cycle

Director Richard Jones brings magic-realist noir to Wagner’s world – with results that range from poignant to distracting

Tim Ashley

21, Nov, 2021 @1:29 PM

‘About as big as it gets’: behind the scenes of Wagner’s The Valkyrie at English National Opera

ENO returns to live performances this season with a bold, ambitious choice: Wagner’s The Valkyrie. At the technical rehearsal we watched it take shape inside the Coliseum

Imogen Tilden, photographs by David Levene

18, Nov, 2021 @9:03 AM

‘Feel the fear, then do it’: Wagner’s Ring cycle gets a bold Samoan rework

Productions of Wagner’s epic take years in the planning and execution, huge spaces and hundreds of people. How is a small arts collective performing all four operas in a Putney church, and how do a conch shell and a fire dance fit in?

Stephen Moss

28, Oct, 2021 @6:00 AM