Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi Launches First of Three Met “Ring” Cycles with Das Rheingold

To mark the bicentennial of Wagner's birth, Fabio Luisi launches three complete cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Metropolitan Opera with an account of Das Rheingold on Saturday, April 6. It was with his leadership of the two last operas of Wagner's epic saga that Luisi, the Met's Principal Conductor, took home his first Grammy Award last month, when Deutsche Grammophon's DVD release of the full cycle, recorded live at the house, was named Best Opera Recording of 2012. Running through May 11, the upcoming performances - as on the award-winning recording - will feature Deborah Voigt's star turn as Brünnhilde in Robert Lepage's visionary, cutting-edge production.

Luisi's masterful direction of the four operas that make up Wagner's monumental "Ring" cycle - Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung - has already reaped glowing praise. "Conductor Fabio Luisi won resounding bravos for his fleet, lithe leadership of the Met orchestra," reported the New York Post last season. New York Magazine admired the conductor's ability to "bring out the score's three-dimensional detail and animal heat," and the New York Times explained: "Fabio Luisi ... led an exciting, insightful, and assured performance, ... always aware of the instincts and needs of the performers, especially the singers."

As befits the milestone Wagner anniversary, the conductor's three upcoming Met "Ring" cycles will once again boast a first-rate roster of Wagnerians. Anchoring the cast is Deborah Voigt's Brünnhilde, with a later Ring cycle seeing Katarina Dalayman in the role, while other returning stars include Stephanie Blythe as Fricka, Eric Owens as Alberich, Hans-Peter König as Fafner, and Jay Hunter Morris and Lars Cleveman as Siegfried. Joining the production for the first time are baritones Mark Delavan and Greer Grimsley, who share the role of Wotan, Martina Serafin as Sieglinde, and Simon O'Neill as Siegmund. As detailed below, all twelve performances will be conducted by Luisi himself, and further information is available at his web sites.

Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Metropolitan Opera
Conductor: Fabio Luisi

April 6 & 25; May 4
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Das Rheingold

April 13 & 26; May 6
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Die Walküre

April 20 & 29; May 8
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Siegfried

April 23; May 2 & 11
York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Götterdämmerung

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