Tune into WRTI on Saturday Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. to hear the China NCPA’s 2025 production of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre, the second part of his legendary Ring cycle. Earlier this month, WRTI featured the NCPA’s imaginative production of Das Rheingold, the cycle’s first part. (You can refresh your memory of the plot here.)
Set a number of years after Das Rheingold, Die Walküre opens with the lone warrior Siegmund fleeing enemies during a storm. He stumbles into the home of Sieglinde, and the pair immediately take a liking to one another. Sieglinde’s husband, Hunding, discovers that he is a kinsman to Siegmund’s enemies, and wishes to fight Siegmund to the death. Sieglinde confides in Siegmund about her unhappy marriage, and the pair also discover that they are long separated twin siblings. Siegmund vows to kill Hunding and take Sieglinde as his bride.
Wotan, the leader of the gods, prepares to send his daughter, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, to protect Siegmund. Wotan reveals that Siegmund is his mortal son, and his only hope of securing the Rheingold. Fricka, Wotan’s wife and the goddess of marriage, convinces him to protect the marriage rights of Hunding instead. Brünnhilde, against the wishes of her father, chooses to protect Siegmund. Before he is victorious over Hunding, Wotan intervenes, leaving Siegmund to die and Sieglinde to flee. Brünnhilde then informs Sieglinde that she is carrying Siegmund’s child.
This production features tenor Daniel Brenna as Siegmund, soprano Manuela Uhl as Sieglinde, and bass Liang Li as Hunding. Soprano Ewa Vesin is Brünnhilde, bass-baritone Egils Silins is Wotan, and mezzo-soprano Okka von der Damerau is Fricka. Xiaoying Xu, Fan Zhou, Yuan Zhang, Hongyao Wang, Qin Kanru, Niu Shasha, Xiaoyi Xu, Zhao Kehan are Wotan’s other daughters. Pietari Inkinen conducts the NCPA Orchestra & Chorus.
Cast:
Daniel Brenna as Siegmund
Manuela Uhl as Sieglinde
Liang Li as Hunding
Ewa Vesin as Brünnhilde
Egils Silins as Wotan
Okka von der Damerau as Fricka
Xiaoying Xu as Gerhilde
Fan Zhou as Ortlinde
Yuan Zhang as Waltraute
Hongyao Wang as Schwertleite
Qin Kanru as Helmwige
Niu Shasha as Siegrune
Xiaoyi Xu as Grimgerde
Zhao Kehan as Rossweisse
Pietari Inkinen conducts the NCPA Orchestra & Chorus.