Wagner’s Complete Ring Cycle to Be Performed on Saaremaa by Estonian Forces

Text Timo Raussi

Photo Lisanne Rull / Vanemuine Theatre

Conductor Risto Joost and mezzo-soprano Annely Peebo during rehearsals for last week's performance.

Opera lovers, take note and get your calendars ready if you have not heard this elsewhere yet! Richard Wagner’s monumental opera tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen” will be performed in Estonia in its entirety for the first time, featuring leading Estonian soloists who are also building international careers on major stages.

This four-year grand production by the Saaremaa Opera Days festival, Eesti Kontsert and the Vanemuine Theatre begins this week, on 18 July, when the first part of the cycle, “Das Rheingold”, will be performed in the courtyard of Kuressaare Castle. The performance has already long been sold out. However, fans of the work need not be disappointed. The remaining parts of the approximately 15-hour opera cycle will be performed on the following summer dates: “Die Walküre” on 17 July 2027, “Siegfried” on 22 July 2028, and “Götterdämmerung” on 21 July 2029 – each as a unique special production.

The musical director of the production is Risto Joost. The direction, set design and lighting design are handled by Dutch director Michiel Dijkema, whose contract covers the entire four-year project. According to Vanemuine Theatre director Aivar Mäe, presenting the performances over consecutive years is the only realistic way to realise the project, as Wagner’s music requires a much larger orchestra than usual, making it impossible to keep such a large-scale work in the repertoire of even Estonia’s biggest opera theatre on a permanent basis.

Risto Joost’s ambition has been to bring as many Estonian singers as possible to the stage, particularly performers with experience in Wagner’s demanding roles at international venues. The cast includes Annely Peebo, who is returning from Vienna to the Estonian opera scene for the first time, Monika-Evelin Liiv, who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Sandra Laagus from the Berlin State Opera, Estonia Opera soloists Kadri Kõrvek and Rauno Elp, Roland Liiv, who performs at the Finnish National Opera, as well as Ain Anger, Annaliisa Otsa, Mati Turi, Kristjan Häggblom, and many others.

According to Joost, the themes of “The Ring of the Nibelung” remain relevant not only to him personally but also to today’s audiences. “At the centre of the work are the thirst for power and the abuse of power—themes that are particularly topical today,” he says.

A documentary film is also being made about the production, following the four-year process from rehearsals and backstage preparations to the final performances. One unusual detail is that “Das Rheingold” is the first production in Saaremaa Opera Days history to make use of the entire width of the festival stage. Collectors may also be interested to know that the programme booklets for the four performances will eventually form a unified work of art.

So where can tickets for the performances in future years be purchased? Exact sales dates have not yet been announced, but it may already be worthwhile contacting opera travel organisers around the time of next winter’s Helsinki Travel Fair, just as travel packages were announced earlier this year.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Annely Peebo events Opera Days opera travel Richard Wagner Risto Joost The Ring of the Nibelung Vanemuine Theatre