Deborah Voigt to Host PBS Presentation of Wagner’s RING CYCLE, 9/10-14

Deborah Voigt launches her 2012-13 opera season on network television, as the host of a special five-night presentation of Wagner's complete "Ring" cycle in the PBS series "Great Performances from the Met" (Sep 10–14). Filmed at the Metropolitan Opera over the past two seasons, the broadcasts feature Robert Lepage's visionary new production, which was hailed as "awesome" by the New York Times; Voigt stars in the iconic and notoriously demanding role of Brünnhilde, at the head of an all-star cast. The soprano also plays a prominent part in Wagner's Dream, a documentary about the new staging that will air as a prelude to the epic cycle. The New York Times pronounced Wagner's Dream "the rare backstage film that maintains a level head even in moments of crisis," while Entertainment Weekly singled out as being "of particular delight: the friendly openness of the great American dramatic soprano Deborah Voigt – a Brünnhilde to reckon with." Co-hosting all five nights of the PBS presentation alongside WQXR's Midge Woolsey, Voigt describes her own experience in the production; interviews Met General Manager Peter Gelb; and guides listeners through Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung, the four operas that make up the complete Ring des Nibelungen. Further details of the five PBS broadcasts are provided below, and more information is available here.

The full Met "Ring" cycle – complete with Wagner's Dream – will also be released by Deutsche Grammophon as a Blu-ray DVD-set on September 11. Meanwhile Voigt looks forward to reprising her portrayal of Brünnhilde when the Met revives Lepage's groundbreaking production in spring 2013, the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth. As the New York Times affirmed, "she proved herself as Brünnhilde" last season. In Die Walküre, the Huffington Post found "the emotional intensity of her portrayal…so moving and convincing that tears streamed down [the critic's] face," while according to the New York Post, in Siegfried "she played the subtle transformation from virgin goddess to passionate woman exquisitely, with by far the best acting in her 20-year Met career." As for Götterdämmerung, it was declared "a triumph for the soprano" by WQXR's Operavore, and the Associated Press agreed: "Deborah Voigt surpassed expectations, singing with eloquence and hitting all her high notes in this treacherous role."

In addition to her television appearances as host of the five PBS broadcasts, the soprano will also be hosting multiple transmissions in the Met's popular "Live in HD" series, including the season-opening event on September 24, a presentation of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. This transmission will air live on big screens in New York's Times Square as well as in the city's Lincoln Center Plaza. Voigt has appeared numerous times in the enormously successful series, both as performer and as host. Last fall, she interviewed VIPs on the red carpet for the Met's opening night. Among her guests was the legendary singer-songwriter Patti Smith – often called the "Godmother of Punk" – who discussed her own love of opera with Voigt and divulged what she had learned as an artist from opera singers. That interview is available here.

Besides revisiting Brünnhilde in the Met's spring revival of the complete cycle, the soprano's 2012-13 season performance highlights include a starring role as Cassandre in Francesca Zambello's revival of Berlioz's Les Troyens at the Met this winter; reprising her portrayal of Minnie in Puccini's La fanciulla del west at Belgium's Liege Opera; singing Wagner and Strauss with Florida's Orlando Philharmonic; and offering two fun-filled weeks of solo cabaret at New York City's legendary Café Carlyle in January.

A complete list of Deborah Voigt's upcoming engagements follows, and additional information may be found at her web site: www.deborahvoigt.com.

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