Siegfried at Bartók Béla National Concert Hall

Wagner originally intended to limit the story of the dramatic tetralogy to the death of Siegfried, but, while working on this opera, he eventually elaborated the text and music for the entire myth, so that the tragedy of Siegfried now unfolds in the third episode of the cycle. Mime, who wishes to acquire the treasure of the Nibelung through the youth he has raised, reveals to Siegfried the secret of his birth. Dramatic events gather pace as the hero Siegfried breaks through the sea of fire encircling Brünnhilde and catches sight of the maiden in the dawn light. For the first time in his life, he experiences fear. He kisses the maiden on the lips, at which Brünnhilde awakens and recognises him as the hero who does not shrink from the fire which surrounds her. In the knowledge of the Gods’ downfall, they swear eternal devotion to each other.
Appearing as Mime for the first time at the Palace of Arts is Gerhard Siegel, a soloist of the state opera houses in Munich and Vienna, while Brünnhilde is sung by British soprano Catherine Foster, who already has a wealth of experience in the role. Martin Winkler first sang the role of Alberich in Bayreuth in the summer of 2013, having made an earlier Wagnerian appearance in Stuttgart in the same year as Klingsor in Parsifal.