The Opéra de Monte-Carlo will present a new production of La Walkyrie (Die Walküre) by Richard Wagner on Jan. 23, 25, 27 and 29, 2026, reaffirming the opera’s central place in the composer’s monumental Ring des Nibelungen. Performances will be conducted by Gianluca Capuano, with staging by Davide Livermore.
First premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in Munich on June 26, 1870, La Walkyrie occupies a pivotal position in Wagner’s tetralogy. It is here that the consequences of Das Rheingold come fully into view. The ring seized by Wotan in his quest for supremacy continues to unleash destruction, and the ruler of the gods confronts the moral and emotional cost of his own ambitions. By the end of the opera, Wotan stands diminished: estranged from his wife, having banished his favored daughter, presided over the deaths of his children and relinquished his divine authority.
Wagner’s score and libretto - both written by the composer himself - give unusual prominence to three female figures who shape the drama’s emotional and ethical center. Sieglinde, a mortal woman, falls in love with Siegmund and becomes pregnant before discovering that he is her lost twin brother, and like her, an illegitimate child of Wotan. Their story brings private suffering into direct collision with divine law.
The second act introduces a stark confrontation between Wotan and his wife, Fricka, who compels him to submit not to personal desire or power, but to laws that stand above even the gods. It is also the moment when Brünnhilde emerges, a character who will accompany audiences through the remainder of the Ring. Initially portrayed as fearless and carefree, she undergoes a profound transformation. Her decision to aid Siegmund and Sieglinde leads to her punishment: exile from Valhalla and the loss of her divinity, accepted with resolve as she grows into a figure of compassion and moral courage.
Presented as an opera in three acts, La Walkyrie at Monte-Carlo will be performed on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. (a gala evening), Jan. 25 at 3 p.m., and Jan. 27 and 29 at 7 p.m. This new production situates Wagner’s drama squarely within its enduring themes of power, law and sacrifice - elements that continue to resonate more than 150 years after the work’s creation.
Photo credits: Opéra de Monte-Carlo