Virginia Opera opened its 2022-2023 season with The Valkyrie (Die Walküre), the second opera in Richard Wagner’s monumental The Ring of the Nibelung (Der Ring des Nibelungen). VO took a bold step to bring live opera to its fans during last fall’s COVID-restricted period. They presented a shortened version of The Rhinegold (Das Rheingold), the first opera in the Ring Cycle, at Topgolf facilities in Norfolk and Richmond; these are open air facilities that met COVID restrictions in place at the time. VO normally presents their productions in theaters in Norfolk, Fairfax, and Richmond on consecutive weekends, but Fairfax does not have a Topgolf. Audiences, including myself, responded enthusiastically and appreciatively to their herculean efforts. Virginia Opera plans to present all four episodes of the Ring Cycle over a four-year span. The Valkyrie is a strong thumbs up for attending, and Virginia Opera’s production has much to recommend it, though uneven staging can at times be a distraction.
The stories in the Ring Cycle are based on Norse mythology that features gods on high and demons and magic in the underworld, with humankind in the middle. Wagner, who wrote the librettos as well as composing the music, used the stories to examine and express his world view of the condition of man, a view which evolved over the 28 years he took to create the entire set of operas, thus the stories are intricate and multilayered with profound meaning at every turn. Joshua Borths, Virginia Opera’s scholar in residence, gave an outstanding pre-opera talk on The Valkyrie in which he argues that the central scenario in this opera confronts audience members with their feelings about a choice between law and love, between competing moralities that support the different choices, difficult choices that life forces upon us all the time.
Wotan (Kyle Albertson, at the top of the stage) confronts the Valkyries, especially Brünnhilde (Alexandra Loutsion, lower left). Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opara.
A brief outline of the plot in The Rhinegold: Wotan the head of the gods and keeper of the law and order errs his way into a seemingly impossible situation. He used a gold ring with magic powers, stolen by trickery, to pay twin giants for building Valhalla, home of the gods. The ring gave power over the world to any who possessed it and thus posed a mortal threat to the gods, especially if it got back into the hands of his foes, the Nibelungs in the underworld. Wotan needed to get the ring back, even though it was cursed to cause trouble and death for any who possessed it; one of the twin giants killed the other to keep the gold for himself. As the keeper of law and order, Wotan could not take back the ring himself, so he schemed to have a hero beyond his control but loyal to him retrieve the ring. His illegitimate son Siegmund was chosen as that hero without his knowing. Siegmund had a twin sister, Sieglinde; their mother was a mortal. Wotan had separated them when young to keep the boy on track for his plans; Sieglinde was forced into an unwanted marriage. At the end, the gods walk into Valhalla, but Loge, the god of fire, hangs back pondering whether this group of gods deserved to live, much less reside in Valhalla.
Their story continues in The Valkyrie: Siegmund has lost his weapons and is being chased by angry villagers. He takes refuge in Sieglinde’s home without them recognizing each other, and soon they fall in love. Her cruel and abusive husband Hunding arrives home. The villagers are Hunding’s people, and he challenges the unarmed Siegmund to a duel to the death for the next day. Sieglinde tells Siegmund of a sword, Nothung, embedded in a tree that no one can remove but a great hero, planted of course by Wotan. He removes it and is armed for his duel. Back at Valhalla, Wotan who has a great love for Siegmund and his scheme, tells his daughter Brunhilde, a Valkyrie, to go to the forest to give the victory to Siegmund. However, his wife Fricka, goddess of love and marriage is incensed over the incest Wotan is permitting and forces Wotan to accept that planting the sword violates his vow not to help. Wotan reverses his order to Brünnhilde. She is to let him die. When Brünnhilde arrives, she witnesses the deep love Siegmund has for Sieglinde and knowing that his death is not what Wotan really wants, she decides to help him win. However, Wotan shows up during the duel and assists Siegmund’s death. Outraged that she did not carryout his command and despite his great love for Brünnhilde, his favorite, he changes her to a mere mortal and leaves her sleeping on a mountain top surrounded by a fire that cannot be crossed by anyone who fears his spear and decrees she will have to marry whoever wakes her. Meanwhile, Sieglinde has escaped to the woods and is carrying Siegmund’s child who will become the greatest hero, who is without fear of anything. How do you feel about a father banishing his daughter for disobedience? Would you have made the choice that Brûnnhilde made? The story continues in the third chapter, Siegfried.
Siegmund (Richard Trey Smagur) and Sieglinde (Meghan Kasanders). Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opara.
Let’s talk about Virginia Opera’s production on Sunday afternoon in Fairfax. The Ring is resource intensive even for large opera companies, a large cast, orchestras up to 90 members, and four operas running for 16 hours in total. VO performed the highly regarded adaptation of The Valkyrie by Jonathan Dove and Graham Vick, reduced in length (about 3 hours) and scored for a smaller orchestra by Mr. Dove; the essential elements of the story are retained. Conductor Adam Turner and the 22 players of the Virginia Opera Orchestra delivered Wagner’s music admirably. Wagner’s music is glorious. His innovation, the use of leitmotifs or themes to tag characters and situations, forges an even stronger bond between the music and the storytelling.
The strongest element in the production was the outstanding cast. Experienced Wagnerian, baritone Kyle Albertson played Wotan again, the only returning member from VO’s production of The Rhinedold last year. In my report on that performance, I stated that if Mr. Albertson continued in the role, I’d attend. After this performance, I am changing my tune - I request that Virginia Opera bring him back. I think his singing might have been even more beautiful this year, but perhaps I could just hear him better inside a theater. He was joined by Pittsburgh native, soprano Alexandra Loutsion as Brünnhilde. Ms. Loutsion played the role as a young, mostly subservient Brünnhilde who doted on her father; her scenes with her father were touching. She is a highly accomplished singer who has played many lead operatic roles; last year she sang the role of Brünnhilde in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Twilight of the Gods, the final chapter of the Ring Cycle. Tenor Richard Trey Smagur and soprano Meghan Kasanders were well matched as Siegmund and Sieglinde; both are promising young artists and brought magic to that pairing. Mr. Smagur (remember Tybalt from Wolf Trap Opera’s 2018 Romeo and Juliette) brought a striking vocal and stage presence to his role. Occasionally, a performer in a supporting role almost steals the show. In The Valkyrie that singer was mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa who sang the role of Fricka, perhaps the most impressive Fricka I have seen. I sat up, took notice, wanted to hear more, and found the ruler of the god’s submission to her scolding totally believable. Sopranos Lesley Anne Friend, Adriane S. Kerr, and Courtney Johnson made fine supporting Valkyries.
Fricka, wife of Wotan, goddess of marraige, played by Claudia Chapa standing above her husband Wotan played by Kyle Albertson.. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opara.
The Ring Cycle, first performed in 1876, has been a stalwart of the modern repertoire since then. The Cycle and its operas have received many different treatments by directors wanting to offer something fresh that offers new insights into the operas. Often great liberties are taken with the staging; one a few years back at Met Opera had the set as a giant undulating keyboard; Washington National Opera’s excellent Ring in 2016 moved the gods into corporate America; I saw a European production recently that looked like it was a grammar school production with cardboard cutouts used as wings for the Valkyries with little else. The themes and conflicts are timeless and can be transferred to many settings. In my view, this is fair game and new presentations should be judged by whether they work.
Virginia Opera’s performance began and ended in a promising direction and I give Director Joachim Schamberger and the production team credit for their efforts. The use of highly creative lighting and images on screens to enhance stage sets has grown as modern technology has advanced; CGI rules! VO’s staging was described as futuristic in concept. The opening projections as the opera began were bright and colorful with a circular center section where actors could be seen. There was a tiered, revolving center set that appeared clever in design. As the action began, the lighting and images on the screen made me think this was going to be somewhere between a real and an animated production, which interested me. However, soon the images on the screen were apparent on the actors as well as were the shadows cast by the actors on the screen, minor distractions. More problematic were the multiple puzzling images that kept appearing on the screens as backgrounds – undulating geometric designs, stallions rearing without Valkyries on their backs, an airport transom with travelers going back and forth, and computer generated human outlines. Frankly, for much of the opera I found these to be an annoying distraction, especially in the final tete a tete between Wotan and Brunnhilde. This is a scene of both great tenderness and high drama. I wanted my focus to be on the two singers but found myself constantly distracted by images on the screen that were of baffling relevance. On the other hand, I thought the ending CGI effects worked effectively as Wotan ascended to the top of the mountain and surrounded it with flames. The costumes chosen by Court Watson worked well for most characters, though I did not recognize a time or place they were to signify. An exception was the costumes of the Valkyries. Part of their costumes were shoulder pads meant I think to be armor similar to the Empire’s soldiers in Star Wars; however, bathed in the stage lighting I kept thinking they looked like football players without their jerseys - perhaps I was just missing NFL football that Sunday afternoon. Nonetheless, those costumes needed some pizazz; women who gather up fallen heroes and carry them to Valhalla deserve better.
Wotan played by Kyle Albertson winds up on top, at least for this episode of the Ring. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opara.
In conclusion, Virginia Opera’s The Valkyurie certainly worth attending for the Wagner’s music well played, outstanding singing, and its compelling storyline (and a chance to see Claudia Chapa perform). I found that some elements of the staging distracted my attention from an otherwise excellent production; perhaps you will react differently. I did find that it whet my appetite for some more Wagner, especially more of the Ring Cycle.
The Fan Experience: The Valkyrie was scheduled for performances in Norfolk on September 20, October 1, 2; in Fairfax on October 8 and 9; and in Richmond October 14 and 16. The opera is sung in German with supertitles in English shown on an overhead screen. Masking and proof of vaccinations were not required for the audience.
I highly recommend the outstanding pre-opera talk on The Valkyrie, given by Joshua Borths, Virginia Opera’s scholar in residence, which starts 45 minutes before the beginning of the opera. Get there early to get a good seat. If you can’t make a performance but want to know more about the opera, Mr. Borths covers the same material and more in his Let’s Talk Opera lecture available on Youtube.com.
Richard Wagner was a complicated person and held views that helped spread antisemitism in his day. Virginia Opera, always interested in maintaining its connection to the communities that it serves, held a discussion on this topic with members of Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk, which is available on Facebook.