There is no doubting the creativity, originality and often-compelling vision of La Fura’s production—one that renews Wagner’s Ring cycle and challenges its audience to think deeply about it.－Gregory Barnett, Opera News 

Timeless’ is the word people like to use for Wagner’s Ring, and Carlus Padrissa’s direction on the production by Fura del Baus, abetted by Chu Aroz’ costumes, Roland Olbeter’s set, and Franc Aleu’s videos, is precisely that.－Robert Levine, Bachtrack

 

Götterdämmerung is the last in Richard Wagner’s cycle of 4 music dramas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). The opera tells a cruel yet glamorous story about the hero Siegfried, who gave Brünnhilde the ring as a token of his love. Meanwhile, Hagen, son of Alberich, ambitiously plotted to take the ring for his own.

As part of NTT’s 4-year program of the Ring cycle, the opera features the Stage Director Carlus Padrissa, the cutting edge theater La Fura dels Baus, the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Shao-Chia LÜ, Tunghai University Choir, and the world’s leading dramatic singers are all performed in this tale.  

Enjoy a sensational night of unparalleled orchestral splendor, breathtaking aerial acrobatics, and cutting-edge stage effects. Götterdämmerung of Der Ring des Nibelungen in NTT this fall!

Shao-Chia LÜ, Conductor

Taiwan-born conductor Shao-Chia LÜ’s talent was recognized early on, as he won three important international conducting competitions in France, Italy and the Netherlands in the early 1990s. This led him to begin his conducting career in Europe, starting out as Principal Conductor of Komische Oper Berlin (1995-1998). He has also served as General Music Director of the Koblenz Theatre (1998-2001), the Staatsorchester Rheinische (1998-2004) and the Staatsoper Hannover (2001-2006). In May 2004, he was awarded the highest honor for cultural contribution of the German state of Rhineland, the Peter Cornelius Plakette, bestowed on him by the minister of culture. He has served as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra since August 2010.

Carlus Padrissa, Stage Director

Carlus Padrissa is one of the six artistic directors of the innovative Spanish theater company La Fura dels Baus, founded in 1979. Padrissa was the driving force behind the group’s participation in the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, which he and Àlex Ollé directed. Padrissa’s early work in opera and in collaboration with Ollé and the plastic artist Jaume Plensa began with Falla’s La Atlántida (1996) and Debussy’s Le martyre de Saint Sébastien (1997). These were followed by La damnation de Faust (Salzburg Festival), The Magic Flute (Ruhr Biennale) and many others. One of La Fura’s most ambitious projects was converting Naumon, a barge 60 meters long and weighing 1,100 tons, into a modern floating performance center that has logged more than 40,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean all the way to the China Seas. Padrissa has also directed Turandot (2011) at Bavarian State Opera, Tannhäuser (2010) at La Scala, Parsifal (2013) at the Cologne Opera, Elektra (2014) in Sweden, Karl V (2019) in Germany and, to name a few.
 

National Symphony Orchestra

 Founded in 1986, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO a.k.a Taiwan Philharmonic) is one of Asia’s top orchestras. Since August 2010, Maestro Shao-Chia LÜ has served as its Music Director. The NSO has collaborated with many well-known conductors including Lorin Maazel, Rudolf Barshai, Krzystof Penderecki, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Gunther Herbig, Sir Neville Marriner and Leonard Slatkin.

In addition to its outstanding concerts, the NSO regularly performs large-scale operas including those of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). It has also been involved in transnational opera productions, such as Der Rosenkavalier (Germany, 2007), Carmen (England and Australia, 2009), Madame Butterfly (Australia, 2012) and Fidelio (Switzerland, 2015), as well as all-new productions of Die Walküre, Salome, Otello, IL Trittico and Parsifal.

La Fura dels Baus

La Fura dels Baus represents eccentricity, innovation, adaptation, rhythm, evolution and transgression. Such a characteristic and unique essence has led this company to pioneer the reconceptualization of two of the most significant aspects of dramatic art: the theatrical space and the public. Space was redefined by moving to non-conventional venues and the public role was transformed from passive to active, breaking through the “fourth wall.” Incessant curiosity and the need to explore new artistic trends have developed, through a process of collective creation, and a unique language, style and aesthetic. Nowadays, this is called “Furan language,” which has been implemented in different artistic genres, such as opera, cinema and large-scale performances.
 

Tunghai University Choir

The Tunghai University Choir (TUC) was founded in 1960 by professor CHENG Teh-an and has been under the directions of Elizabeth Rice, Juanelve Rose, William Zimmerman, LIN Fang-chin, DING Yen-hai, Akos Papp, MAK Ka Lok, SHENG Hsin-chin, LIANG Hsiu-ling, CHUANG Shun-hsu. Since 1999, under the baton of CHUNG Annie, TUC has been growing tremendously through diverse repertoire and the frequent cooperation with the Tunghai Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the performance of traditional choral works, TUC has been taking significant roles in symphonic and operatic productions and become an important institute nurturing future promising professionals in the related fields.

 

Conductor / Shao-Chia LÜ

Stage Director / Carlus Padrissa

Revival Stage Director / Esteban Muñoz

Set Design / Roland Olbeter

Costume Design / Chu Uroz

Video Design / Franc Aleu

Lighting Design / Peter van Praet

Revival Lighting / Gianni Paolo Mirenda

Vocal Coach / Martin Andersson

Chorus Master / CHUNG Annie

Piano Rehearsal / Vera Hui-pin HSU

English Surtitles / Jonathan Dean

Chinese Surtitles / Nightingale Foundation

A co-production of Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Siegfried / Lance Ryan

Gunther / Lauri Vasar

Alberich / CHAO Fang-hao

Hagen / Andrea Silvestrelli

Brünnhilde / Rachel Nicholls

Gutrune and Third Norn / Sandra Trattnigg

Waltraute and Second Norn / Roswitha Christina Müller

First Norn / FAN Ting-yu

Woglinde / Eri Nakamura

Wellgunde / Catherine Martin

Flosshilde / Renee Tatum

National Symphony Orchestra

Tunghai University Choir

Supernumerary Performers / Acrodynamic & Wugi Troupe