Wagner to die for in Simone Young’s latest Ring episode

A five-star afternoon to remember as Simone Young takes on an epic Wagnerian journey.

Simone Young conducting Sydney Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Richard Wagner's Die Walkure. Picture: Jay Patel

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Wagner fans in other Australian states have been treated to complete Ring Cycles staged with sets and costumes, while those living in NSW have had to make do with full concert versions spread over four years.

That said, these performances feature one of the top Wagnerian interpreters in Simone Young, recently back from a groundbreaking appearance as the first woman to conduct the four operas at Bayreuth – Wagner HQ. And with her international clout she is able to attract top-notch singers – in this case of Die Walkure, 13 of them.

On top of all that she is currently Sydney Symphony’s chief conductor, so she has at her disposal an orchestra that can compete with the best that Europe, America and Asia has to offer.

Die Walkure is the second in the Ring Cycle and arguably the most popular, with the Ride of the Valkyries at the beginning of the Third Act being a staple in popular culture. It’s difficult to imagine a more dramatic and arresting opening 10 minutes with three sopranos, four mezzos and a contralto on stage singing their bloodcurdling war cries over the familiar thunderous brassy tune and its cantering rhythm.

Before that happens, however, there are two acts and more than two-and-a-half hours of music – plus 90 minutes of intervals. In all, Wagner’s follow-up to Das Rheingold goes for five hours and 40 minutes, Young’s score alone the size of an old-fashioned phone book.

Throughout it all she brought out the light and shade of the dramatic action, bringing to it a commanding control and illuminating the complex tale of love versus godlike power struggles. Wagner gives each character a leitmotiv – even a magic sword has its own music – and this also helps to guide us through the twists and turns of Norse mythology.

Young’s cast of singers was superb, with German soprano Anja Kampe considered one of the world’s leading Brunnhildes and Finnish baritone Tommi Hakala turning in a memorable night as a finely nuanced Wotan, the god who pulls all the strings.

The performance also marked the return to the SSO of Australian star helden tenor Stuart Skelton as Siegmund, whose incestuous relationship with his twin sister Sieglinde is central to the plot. Lithuanian soprano Vida Mikneviciute was outstanding in this role and there was a magical musical chemistry between the two which developed over the first act, with English bass Peter Rose powerful as Sieglinde’s cuckolded husband Hunding.

The other central character is Fricka, Wotan’s wife and mother of the twins, and Moldavian mezzosoprano Alexandra Ionis was magnificent, her mellifluous tone and acting skills bringing an added dimension to Act 2.

Clever lighting all helped to add to the atmosphere, from the flickering lightning of the stormswy orchestral introduction to the bright golden hues of the Magic Fire Music.

This was a five-star afternoon to remember and whets the appetite for next year’s concert performance of Siegfried, culminating in Gotterdammerung in 2026 and Young’s last performance as chief conductor.

DETAILS

• CONCERT Sydney Symphony Orchestra: Die Walkure

• WHERE Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

• WHEN November 17, 2024