New Production of Siegfried Opens at The Met 10/27

Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will lead the opening performances of Siegfried, Robert Lepage's new production of the third opera in Wagner's Ring cycle. The new production, premiering October 27, will be Luisi's first time conducting this opera at the Met. Gary Lehman leads the distinguished cast of Wagner singers, in his first-ever performances of the heroic title role. He will be joined by the stars of Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, the first two installments of Lepage's Ring production: Deborah Voigt as Brünnhilde, Patricia Bardon as Erda, Gerhard Siegel as Mime, Bryn Terfel as the Wanderer, and Eric Owens as Alberich. The entire principal cast-with the exception of Siegel-are making role debuts in this production. The November 5 matinee performance of Siegfried will be transmitted live to more than 1,600 movie theaters in 54 countries around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Lepage's production uses a technologically advanced set, comprised of 24 flexible planks that can be configured into a variety of shapes, for each of his Ring stagings. In this production, spectacular visual effects will depict the natural world that surrounds the opera's title character. The staging for this opera will incorporate new projection technologies to vividly create the mysterious and dangerous world of Siegfried.

Luisi will lead his first Met performances of Siegfried this season. He has conducted complete cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen, most recently at the Dresden State Opera in Germany, and last season led two critically acclaimed performances of Das Rheingold at the Met. Also this season, he conducts the new production premieres of Mozart's Don Giovanni (October 13) and Massenet's Manon (March 26), as well as a revival of Verdi's La Traviata. Derrick Inouye will conduct the November 1 performance of Siegfried.

Lehman made an unexpected Met debut as Tristan in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in the 2008-09 season, in a revival that featured numerous cast changes in both of the title roles. In that season and the subsequent 2009-10 season, Lehman sang Tristan opposite the Isoldes of both Voigt and Katarina Dalayman. His other Met roles include Siegmund in Die Walküre and Alwa in Berg's Lulu, in performances conducted by Luisi. Voigt is singing her first-ever Brünnhildes in this production of the Ring, making the fearless Valkyrie her sixth Wagner heroine at the Met; in addition to Isolde, she has sung Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Elsa in Lohengrin, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, and Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer. Terfel, who sings his first-ever Wanderer, has excelled in a diverse repertory at the Met that includes Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca, Wolfram in Tannhäuser, and the title roles in Verdi's Falstaff and Mozart's Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro.

Bardon made her Met debut in 2007 as Cornelia in Giulio Cesare and sang Erda in the new production premiere of Das Rheingold last season. Siegel sang Mime in both Das Rheingold and Siegfried in the Met's 2003-04 and 2008-09 seasons; last season, he sang Mime and the Captain in Berg's Wozzeck. Owens made an acclaimed role debut as Alberich in the new production premiere of Das Rheingold. He has also sung General Leslie Groves in the Met premiere of John Adams's Doctor Atomic and Sarastro in the Met's holiday presentation of Mozart's The Magic Flute.
Mojca Erdmann, who makes her Met debut as Zerlina in Don Giovanni this season, will sing the Forest Bird, and Hans-Peter König, who sang Fafner and Hunding in the new production premieres of Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, will sing Fafner in his first Met performances of Siegfried.
Siegfried will return to the Met in April as part of three complete Ring cycles, led by Met Music Director James Levine. (A new production of Götterdämmerung opens January 27.) The premiere cast will perform in the complete cycles, with a few additions: Katarina Dalayman, who has previously sung the Walküre and Götterdämmerung Brünnhildes at the Met, will sing her first performance of Siegfried on April 30; Stephen Gould will make his Met role debut as Siegfried on May 9; and Robert Brubaker and Richard Paul Fink will sing Mime and Alberich on May 9.
Lepage's production team for Siegfried includes associate director Neilson Vignola, set designer Carl Fillion, costume designer François St-Aubin, lighting designer Etienne Boucher, and, in his Met debut, video image artist Pedro Pires.

Siegfried Live in HD and on the Radio
The November 5 matinee of Siegfried, hosted by Renée Fleming, will be transmitted live to more than 1600 movie theaters in 54 countries around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series.
The October 27 opening performance will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 74, as will the performances on November 1, April 21, and April 30. The October 27 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's Web site, www.metopera.org. The April 21 matinee at 11:00 a.m. will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

For More Information, Go to the Met's Web Site
For more information, including bios of the performers and production team, and general information about the Met season, please visit the Met's Web site at http://www.metoperafamily.org/