Die Walküre Is the March 30, 2019, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Die Walküre is the March 30, 2019, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, numbering as 18th of 24 in the 2018-2019 season’s schedule.

Brünnhilde, who loses her Valkyrie status through defense of her half-siblings: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Feb. 19, 2018

Die Walküre is the March 30, 2019, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as 18th of 24 scheduled Saturday matinee radio broadcasts during the 2018-2019 Met Opera season.

German composer and librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883) wrote the libretto and composed the musical score for Die Walküre. The Norse myth-inspired opera comprises the second of four epic music dramas in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). The literary sources for Wagner’s libretto include Iceland’s 13th century Völsunga Saga and the Poetic Edda.

Wagner’s Die Walküre premiered June 26, 1870, at Königlichen Hof- und Nationaltheater (Royal Court and National Theater) in Munich, Bavaria, southeastern Germany. The opera house premiered the Ring cycle’s first segment, Das Rheingold, nine months earlier, on Sept. 22, 1869.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of Die Walküre took place Jan. 30, 1885. In the 1884-1885 Met Opera season, Die Walküre received 16 performances.

The Metropolitan Opera premiered the first cycle, Das Rheingold, after the second. Met Opera hosted Das Rheingold’s United States premiere Jan. 4, 1889.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season offers two performances of Die Walküre. The Ring’s second cycle opens Monday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Closing night is Thursday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m.

Die Walküre airs as the 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s 18th Saturday matinee radio broadcast March 30, beginning at 1 p.m. The Ring’s first cycle, Das Rheingold, aired as the season’s 15th Saturday matinee radio broadcast March 9, beginning at 1 p.m.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s Die Walküre has an estimated run time of 4 hours 55 minutes. Act I spans 65 minutes. An intermission of 39 minutes follows. Act II runs for 90 minutes. An intermission of 35 minutes precedes Act III, which is estimated at 66 minutes.

Philippe Jordan appears as the production’s conductor. The Swiss conductor’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Dec. 19, 2002, in the opera house’s 196th performance of Die Fledermaus by Austrian light music composer Johann Strauss II (Oct. 25, 1825-June 3, 1899). In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Philippe Jordan also conducts the Ring cycle’s three additional operas.

Christine Goerke appears as Brünnhilde, whose defiance of her father, Wotan, king of the gods, causes her demotion from Valkyrie to mortal woman. The American dramatic soprano’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened April 3, 1995, in the ensemble role of Woman with Baby in the opera house’s eighth performance of The Ghosts of Versailles by American classical composer John Corigliano (born Feb. 16, 1938). During the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Christine Goerke reappears as Brünnhilde in the Ring’s third and fourth cycles, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.

Eva-Maria Westbroek appears as Sieglinde, who shares Wotan as father with Brünnhilde and whose protection by Brünnhilde strips Brünnhilde of her Valkyrie status. As Sieglinde, the Dutch soprano reprises her Metropolitan Opera debut role, which happened April 22, 2011, in the opera house’s 525th performance of Die Walküre. In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Eva-Maria Westbroek also appears as Minnie in La Fanciulla del West by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Jamie Barton appears as Fricka, Wotan’s wife, who opposes her husband’s favoring of Siegmund, Sieglinde’s twin brother, over Siegmund’s brother-in-law, Hunding. The American mezzo-soprano’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Sept. 23, 2009, as the second of three ladies in the opera house’s 393rd performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. During the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Jamie Barton first appears as Fricka in the Ring’s first cycle, Das Rheingold.

Per The Metropolitan Opera's tweet April 24, 2019, Michaela Schuster replaces Jamie Barton as Fricka for the season's closing performance, Thursday, April 25. The German operatic mezzo-soprano’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened March 1, 2018, as Klytämnestra in the opera house’s 109th performance of Elektra by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949). In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Michaela Schuster also appears as Waltraute in Götterdämmerung, the final installment in the four-part Ring cycle.

Stuart Skelton appears as Siegmund, Sieglinde’s twin brother, whose battle with Sieglinde’s husband, Hunding, pits Wotan against Brünnhilde. The Australian operatic heldentenor ("heroic tenor"; powerful tenor voice suitable for heroic roles) made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Drum-Major in the opera house’s 61st performance of Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935). In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Stuart Skelton also sings the title role in Otello by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Greer Grimsley appears as Wotan, king of the gods, who punishes Brünnhilde’s defiance of his orders by retracting her Valkyrie status and placing her, as a defenseless, sleeping mortal woman, in a mountain-top resting place. The American bass-baritone had made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 23, 1994, as Captain Balstrode in the opera house's 56th performance of Peter Grimes by Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (Nov. 22, 1913-Dec. 4, 1976). During the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Greer Grimsley first appears as Wotan in the Ring’s first cycle, Das Rheingold.

Günther Groissböck appears as Hunding, Sieglinde’s husband, who kills his wife’s twin brother, Siegmund, through Wotan’s intervention. The Austrian bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 1, 2010, as Colline in the opera house’s 1,224th performance of Puccini’s La Bohème. In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Günther Groissböck appears as the giant Fasolt in the Ring’s first cycle, Das Rheingold, and also performs as the Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila by French Romantic Era composer Camille Saint-Saëns (Oct. 9, 1835-Dec. 16, 1921).

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s performances of Die Walküre revive staging by John Lepage. The Canadian playwright and stage director’s staging debuted as a new production April 22, 2011, in the opera house’s 525th performance of Die Walküre.

Robert Lepage’s production team comprises Neilson Vignola, associate director; Carl Fillion, set designer; François St-Aubin, costume designer; Etienne Boucher, lighting designer; and Boris Firquet, video image artist. The production’s revival stage directors are J. Knighten Smit and Gina Lapinskis.

The takeaway for Die Walküre as the March 30, 2019, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that the Ring’s second cycle airs as 18th of the 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s Saturday matinee radio broadcasts and continues the season’s Ring cycle productions.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season revives Canadian stage director John Lepage’s staging, which debuted as a new production April 22, 2011: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook June 26, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Die Walküre, the second epic music drama in Wagner’s Ring cycle, introduces Brünnhilde, who loses her Valkyrie status through defense of her half-siblings: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Feb. 19, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10160146382340533/

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season revives Canadian stage director John Lepage’s staging, which debuted as a new production April 22, 2011: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook June 26, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10160688188725533/

For further information:

“Debut: Greer Grimsley.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 318860 Peter Grimes {56} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/23/1994.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=318860

“Debuts: Eva-Maria Westbroek, Molly Fillmore, Lindsay Ammann.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353959 New Production Die Walküre {525} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/22/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353959

“Debuts: Bernard Labadie, Matthias Klink, Jamie Barton, Georg Zeppenfeld.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353076 Die Zauberflöte {393} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/23/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353076

“Debuts: Dimitri Tiliakos, Günther Groissböck, Brandon Mayberry.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353654 La Bohème {1224} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/01/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353654

"Debuts: Hector Vásquez . . . Christine Goerke . . ." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 319890 The Ghosts of Versailles {8} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/3/1995.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=319890

“Debuts: Michaela Schuster, Lisa Gwyn Daltirus.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356901 Elektra {109} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/01/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356901

“Debuts: Rosemary Joshua, Peter Coleman-Wright, Christine Abraham, Phiippe Jordan.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 350438 Die Fledermaus {196} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/19/2002.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=350438

“Debuts: Stuart Skelton, John Albert, Jonathan Kelly.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353922 Wozzeck {61} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/06/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353922

Jones, David L. "Understanding the Helden Tenor." Voice Teacher.
Available @ http://www.voiceteacher.com/heldentenor.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Das Rheingold Is the March 9, 2019, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, March 4, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/03/das-rheingold-is-march-9-2019-met-opera.html

Mesa, Franklin. Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597-2000. Jefferson NC; London, England: McFarland & Company, Inc. 2007.

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Christine Goerke, Soprano struck a fierce pose during yesterday's 2019 Ring Cycle photo shoot. The soprano sings Brünnhilde in Wagner's supreme operatic experience next season. Goerke currently stars in Strauss's Elektra through March 23. To purchase a full Ring cycle now visit: bit.ly/2txy8LO Photos by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera.” Facebook. March 9, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10160245161070533/

Metropolitan Opera ‏@MetOpera. "For the performance of Die Walküre on Thursday, April 25, the role of Fricka will be sung by Michaela Schuster, replacing Jamie Barton. #CastChange." Twitter. April 24, 2019.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1121124625096822785

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Live in HD March 30, 2019 In what is expected to be a Wagnerian event for the ages, Christine Goerke, Soprano plays Brunnhilde, Wotan’s willful warrior daughter, who loses her immortality in opera’s most famous act of filial defiance. Stuart Skelton and Eva-Maria Westbroek play the incestuous twins Siegmund and Sieglinde. Greer Grimsley and Michael Volle sing Wotan. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2EKMpcq Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera.” Facebook. Feb. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10160146382340533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “On this day in 1870, Wagner's Die Walküre made its world premiere at the National Theatre in Munich, Germany. Wagner's Ring cycle returns to the Met in spring 2019 starring Christine Goerke, Soprano as Brünnhilde. Complete Ring cycles and single tickets to select performances of Die Walküre are on sale now: bit.ly/2kbij5J Photo by Vincent Peters/Met Opera.” Facebook. June 26, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10160688188725533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Wagner’s visionary initial installment of the Ring depicts the original sin of the theft of the sacred golden treasure, the vanity of the gods, the greed of the Nibelungen, the fratricide of the giants, and the building of Valhalla. Greer Grimsley and Michael Volle share the role of Wotan, the conflicted lord of the gods. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton sings her first Wagner role at the Met as Wotan’s embattled wife, Fricka. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2o9fmo2 Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera.” Facebook. Feb. 15, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10160137122415533/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Die Walküre.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 3450 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Die Walküre {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/30/1885.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=3450

“New Production: Das Rheingold.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353563 New Production Das Rheingold {156} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/27/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353563

“New Production: Die Walküre.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353959 New Production Die Walküre {525} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/22/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353959

“United States Premiere: Das Rheingold.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 6970 United States Premiere Das Rheingold {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/4/1889.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=6970