Der Ring des Nibelungen
Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen returns to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden for the 2028 Festtage. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s internationally acclaimed production will be staged in two complete cycles: from 3 to 9 April and from 12 to 17 April 2028. Chief Conductor Christian Thielemann will be conducting the Staatskapelle Berlin. An outstanding ensemble of renowned Wagner performers has been assembled for this revival: Camilla Nylund as Brünnhilde, Klaus Florian Vogt as Siegfried and Christopher Maltman as Wotan will take on the leading roles. The other roles will be performed by: Vida Miknevičiūtė and Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Sieglinde and Siegmund, Anna Kissjudit as Fricka, René Pape as Hunding, Mika Kares as Hagen, Sebastian Kohlhepp as Loge and Stephan Rügamer as Mime. Together with the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsopernchor, this cast promises a remarkable Wagnerian event.
Christian Thielemann: General Music Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden
“The Ring is always a special challenge and a great adventure for everyone involved. I am very much looking forward to performing this cycle twice with the Staatskapelle Berlin and a first-class cast of singers as part of the 2028 Festtage.”
Elisabeth Sobotka, Artistic Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden:
“I am particularly delighted that we are able to present The Ring of the Nibelung to our audience as the centrepiece of the 2028 Festtage at Easter. The Staatskapelle Berlin and an exquisite ensemble of singers in a new line-up promise some truly memorable musical moments, conducted by our General Music Director Christian Thielemann in Dmitri Tcherniakov’s gripping production.”
Dmitri Tcherniakov transposes Wagner’s tetralogy to the fictional research institute E.S.C.H.E., where a family saga spanning several generations unfolds. From Das Rheingold in the 1960s to Götterdämmerung, this production – first staged in 2022 – paints a panorama of human relationships, power and social change. All four parts return to the stage in their original directorial and staging concepts.
The premiere in October 2022 also marked the start of a special artistic collaboration between Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin. Having stepped in at short notice for Daniel Barenboim, who was unwell, and taken over the musical direction of the premiere run, Thielemann succeeded him as General Music Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in 2023. In the autumn of 2025, he once again devoted himself to two complete Ring cycles and continued the joint musical work on this exceptional opera. With the revival in 2028, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden is continuing its long Wagner tradition: since the late 19th century, Der Ring des Nibelungen has been one of the theatre’s defining works, with more than ten different productions to date.
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden would like to thank the Friends and Patrons of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Board of Trustees of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and its main partner, BMW, for their support.