Der Ring des Nibelungen

As previously announced, Romeo Castellucci was engaged to direct Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, spread over two seasons. A massive undertaking that only visionary artists are courageous enough to attempt and a major challenge for any opera house. Having presented Das Rheingold and Die Walküre earlier this season, we were all set for a continuation on the same strength.

As we communicated before, the Castellucci team was aiming for different artistic approaches for each title: one being the production of a full-length film using as yet unexplored technology for Siegfried, the other being a double opera and theatre project for the final Götterdämmerung. After many months of preparation, investigation and study, we have had to come jointly to the conclusion that we could not arrive at a way to realise these concepts within the available timing and budgetary frame.

Both Romeo and his colleagues as well as the teams at La Monnaie/De Munt very much regret to have had to come to this inevitable conclusion. We all hope that it will be possible to see the completion of this ambitious project at some stage in the future.

La Monnaie/De Munt, however, has decided to continue the Tetralogy together with the forces of the theatre under the baton of our music director and with the announced casts. After careful consideration, we have invited Pierre Audi to direct the next two titles. We are immensely grateful to him for agreeing to take on this challenge at such short notice and under such time pressure. He will work together with a new production team, including Michael Simon for the sets and Petra Reinhardt for the costumes.

Pierre Audi is a renowned Wagner expert and his previous Ring cycle, which we developed together during his Amsterdam tenure, can without any doubt be labeled historic. We are confident that the new narrative developed by Pierre and his team will offer our audiences an inspired continuation of our Ring adventure.

Whereas the first two ‘allegorical’ parts dealt mainly with the gods, the final two will focus on the ‘human’ story of Siegfried and Brünnhilde and the end of love. From a dramaturgical approach, the cycle can therefore be regarded as two diptychs. We are happy that with this solution we can keep our promise to present you these titles as planned in the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Peter de Caluwe,
General and Artistic Director
Brussels, April 19th, 2024