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A rectification of Wagner’s legendary opera


Stories Wagner left out get a place after all in this multi-voiced adaptation of Der Ring des Nibelungen by Schauspielhaus Zürich.


Is it still possible to stage Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen without addressing themes like racism, gender and identity? Not just like that, the German writer Necati Öziri and director Christopher Rüping feel. Wagner’s opera, which is about the hunger for power and a ring with magical powers, draws a distinction between different kinds of creatures and thus excuses unequal treatment.

But neither is it an option to ignore the work, with its globally utilised music, centuries-old mythic tales and seducing praise of nature. This would be to wrongly deny the influence the separate parts - Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung – had on many artists the last one hundred and fifty years. 


So Rüping and Öziri made a powerful, extravagant adaptation. Öziri calls it a ‘rectification’ himself and together they give a place to the voices and stories Wagner left out. Together with musician and poet Black Cracker and an orchestra of individual musicians, they turn the dead white composer’s magnum opus into a new, multi-voiced theatrical extravaganza for the 21st century.

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  • © Flavio Karrer (Christopher Rüping)

  • Der Ring des Nibelungen © Sabina Boesc

    © Sabina Boesch

  • Der Ring des Nibelungen © Sabina Boesc

    © Sabina Boesch

  • Der Ring des Nibelungen © Sabina Boesc

    © Sabina Boesch

  • Der Ring des Nibelungen © Sabina Boesc

    © Sabina Boesch

credits

cast Black Cracker, Nils Kahnwald, Benjamin Lillie, Wiebke Mollenhauer, Matthias Neukirch, Necati Öziri, Steven Sowah, Yodit Tarikwa, Anita Vulesica direction Christopher Rüping text Necati Öziri set design Jonathan Mertz costumes Lene Schwind costume assistance Ulf Brauner, Miriam Schliehe, Naïma Alissa Trabelsi music Black Cracker, Jonas Holle, Born in Flamez, Gil Schneider, Isa GT, Ixa Psybourg, Legion Seven, Leo Luchini, Philipp Hülsenbeck, Simonne Jones light design Gerhard Patzelt video Emma Lou Hermann dramaturgy Katinka Deecke audience development Silvan Gisler stage management Sonja Hildebrandt international affairs Sonja Hildebrandt production assistance Leila Vidal-Sephiha, Josephine Scheibe set assistance Karl Dietrich intern production Rosa ntern costume Valeria Ballek inspection Dayen Tuskan prompter Katja Weppler translation Anna Galt rehearsal translations Alain Angehrn, Lux Züst translation surtitles Margriet Agricola surtitle operator Panthea with the support of Förder Circle Schauspielhaus, Schauspielhaus Zürich
HF in conversation with Christopher Rüping

HF in conversation with Christopher Rüping

HF in conversation with Christopher Rüping

How did a performance come about? Where do makers get their inspiration? What was the starting point, and what challenges did they encounter along the way? The conversations give a glimpse into the work and background of the festival artists.

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