Die Walküre, Royal Opera House

If you are already an out-and-out Wagner nut, you will be plunging into the entire 16-hour-plus Ring cycle at the Royal Opera House this autumn. But if you would just like to sample some of this mammoth undertaking, here is the perfect solution.

Die Walküre is the second of the four gigantic operas in the Ring cycle and, with its unfolding story of hidden identity, love, loss, jealousy and revenge, it packs in all the elements of a great drama. Its music includes a great love duet, and, one of the most loved pieces in all music, the Ride of the Valkyries.

The Valkyries who lend their name to the opera are the eight goddess daughters of Wotan, led by Brünnhilde. As avengers or protectors, they carry out their powerful father's wishes, until personal will steps in.

This production at the Royal Opera House was first created by director Keith Warner in 2005, with spectacular designs by Stefanos Laziridis and costumes by Marie-Jeanne Lecca.

Tickets for live performances (26 Sept to 28 Oct) will be returns only, but you can see the opera up-close, at a fraction of the cost of a seat at Covent Garden, and in guaranteed comfort when it is screened live at cinemas across London and at the Royal Opera House itself on Sunday 28 October.

The great Swedish Wagnerian soprano Nina Stemme plays Brünnhilde. She has just been announced as the winner of the 2018 Birgit Nilsson Prize presented for outstanding work in big dramatic operas such as Die Walküre. Nilsson herself, a famed Wagnerian, was born 100 years ago. Stemme will receive her award in Sweden during the run of Die Walküre.

Playing Siegmund, whom she shields, is the stupendous Australian tenor Stuart Skelton, a London favourite in massive roles such as this.

Swedish bass-baritone John Lundgren makes his Royal Opera debut singing Wotan, and popular British mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly sings Fricka, Wotan's wife.

Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

And if Die Walküre gives you the opera bug, the whole cycle runs at Covent Garden until 2 November.

---

'Die Walküre' is sung in German with English surtitles. Click here for booking (returns only): booking opens at 9AM, Wed 25 July. Click here for the live cinema relay (28 Oct) – booking is open now