Deborah Voigt reprises “badass” Brünnhilde in Met’s “Ring” (April 13–May 11)

To mark the bicentennial of Wagner’s birth, Deborah Voigt resumes her star turn as Brünnhilde this spring, for two cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Metropolitan Opera. It was in the same production of Wagner’s epic saga that her soprano “sliced through the orchestra and throbbed with intensity” (New York Times) at the Met last season, and her performance – as immortalized on Deutsche Grammophon’s live DVD release of the cycle – helped secure the company’s Grammy win for Best Opera Recording of 2012. Running from April 13 through May 11, Voigt’s upcoming appearances as Brünnhilde will once again feature the “fleet, lithe leadership” (New York Post) of Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi in Robert Lepage’s visionary staging.
 
About returning to reprise this favorite signature role, the soprano comments:
 
 “I am so excited about returning to the Met to sing Brünnhilde. She’s the most rich character that one could hope to sing, and I look forward to the opportunity to discover more nuances about her relationship with her father and Siegfried and Sigmund. And I would also like to get through the production remaining on my feet the entire night!”
 
Voigt’s reference is to the difficulties she experienced with the complexities of Robert Lepage’s staging of Die Walküre. But others remember her performances last season with considerably more enthusiasm. New York magazine called Voigt’s Brünnhilde portrayal “badass,” while the New York Daily News singled out her “style, gutsiness, and passion.” In the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini declared that he had “seldom heard the role sung with such rhythmic accuracy and verbal clarity.” Likewise, the Classical Review marveled:
 
“No special effects were offered to visualize the transformation of Brünnhilde from formerly feisty warrior-goddess to incandescent lover, but then, Deborah Voigt didn’t need any. As it was, her performance felt more like a solo flight, her voluptuous high notes soaring over the orchestra.”
 
For her appearances in the Met’s upcoming revival, Voigt will be joined by returning cast members Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Eric Owens (Alberich), Hans-Peter König (Fafner), and Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried), with newcomers Mark Delavan and Greer Grimsley sharing the role of Wotan.
 
Details of the performances are provided below, and further information is available at the soprano’s web site: www.deborahvoigt.com.
 
 
Deborah Voigt in Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Metropolitan Opera
 
April 13 & May 6
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Die Walküre (Brünnhilde)
 
April 20 & May 8
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Siegfried (Brünnhilde)
 
April 23 & May 11
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Brünnhilde)
 
 
www.deborahvoigt.com
www.facebook.com/DeborahVoigt
twitter.com/debvoigt
 
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© 21C Media Group, April 2013