Deborah Voigt Leads Met's Götterdämmerung, Begins 1/27
By: Gabrielle Sierra Jan. 12, 2012
American soprano Deborah Voigt once again brings Wagner's warrior-goddess Brünnhilde alive at the Metropolitan Opera when she stars in Götterdämmerung, the climactic chapter of the composer's epic Der Ring des Nibelungen tetralogy. The January 27-February 11 run of Götterdämmerung, in the new Robert Lepage production, follows her acclaimed performances as Brünnhilde in the cycle's preceding operas at the Met, Die Walküre and Siegfried. This Götterdämmerung will be transmitted to movie theaters worldwide on February 11 as part of the Met's popular Live in HD series. The four Ring operas return to the Met in April for three complete cycles (April 7-May 12), with Voigt’s Brünnhilde taking center stage.
Impressed by Voigt as Brünnhilde in Die Walküre, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times said that he had "seldom heard the role sung with such rhythmic accuracy and verbal clarity," while the Huffington Post raved that the power of Voigt's portrayal meant that "you could never take your eyes off her." And The Classical Review enthused at length over Voigt's Brünnhilde in Siegfried: "No special effects were offered to visualize the transformation of Brünnhilde from formerly feisty warrior-goddess to incandescent lover, but then, Deborah Voigt didn't need any. As it was, her performance felt more like a solo flight, her voluptuous high notes soaring over the orchestra."
Conducted by Fabio Luisi, the Met's Götterdämmerung also includes in the cast Waltraud Meier (Waltraute), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Gutrune), and Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried). Following her turn on stage at the Met, Voigt will join the Hamburg Symphony in Germany to sing the opera's "Immolation Scene" in concert (Feb 18-19).
Prior to her star turn in Götterdämmerung, Voigt hosts the Live in HD broadcast of the Met’s new Baroque pastiche, The Enchanted Island, on January 21. More information on the broadcast, including a list of participating theaters, can be found here.
Deborah Voigt: upcoming performances
Jan 27, 31 & Feb 7, 11*
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Götterdämmerung (new production; role debut: Brünnhilde)
* performance transmitted Live in HD
Feb 18, 19
Hamburg Symphony
“Immolation Scene” from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung
March 17
Washington, D.C.
Washington National Opera
Broadway concert
March 20
Fort Worth, TX
Bass Performance Hall
Recital (Van Cliburn Foundation’s “Cliburn Concerts”)
April 13 & May 7
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Die Walküre
April 21 & May 9
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Siegfried
May 12
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
May 22, 23
Montreal, Canada
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Diva Concerts (opera arias by Wagner, Beethoven, and Strauss)
June 7, 8, 9, 10
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota Orchestra
Strauss: Dance of the Seven Veils and final scene from Strauss’s Salome
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