Atlanta Opera’s ‘Siegfried’ a stirring, heroic triumph

Few opera singers in the world can handle the enormous demands of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried, but Atlanta Opera has one of the best.

Heldentenor Stefan Vinke is triumphant in the title role of Wagner’s Siegfried, continuing through May 4 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. At opening night on April 26, Vinke sounded as fresh and sturdy at the end of the opera as he did five hours earlier when it began.

More on ArtsATL: Read our interview with Stefan Vinke

Vinke is joined by a superb cast of Wagnerian singers that make this Atlanta Opera production a stirring addition to the first two installments of Wagner’s four-opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. Atlanta Opera mounted productions of Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, the first two operas in the cycle in 2023 and 2024, respectively

Next year, Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods) concludes Atlanta’s Ring, marking perhaps the most ambitious project in Atlanta Opera’s 46-year history.

Siegfried is a coming-of-age drama centered on the young hero of the title who forges a sword, slays the dragon Fafner and seeks to rescue the Valkyrie Brünnhilde. At the heart of the entire saga, of course, is a ring that will grant ultimate power to the person who possesses it, though more often it brings destruction.

Vinke wonderfully captures the hero’s wide-eyed innocence. It’s a remarkably youthful portrayal by a singer who is in his late 50s. Vinke may be the world’s reigning Siegfried, having performed the role more than 100 times. Siegfried requires tremendous vocal power, stamina and range, and Vinke possesses these qualities in abundance.

The opera itself is a mix of heroic epic, fairy tale (a singing dragon!) and occasional comedy. Vinke and stage director Tomer Zvulun embrace the inherent comic aspects of Siegfried, and it was a pleasure to hear the Atlanta audience enjoying moments of humor on opening night. (I can attest that at the Bayreuth Festival Theatre, the shrine of Wagner opera, audiences don’t laugh. More’s the pity.)

The production offers a projected translation in English, of course, but no translation was offered for Siegfried’s funniest line, “That is not a man!,” when he first encounters Brünnhilde.

Wotan, the king of the gods who is prominent in the first two Ring operas, returns in Siegfried but in the guise of a mysterious Wanderer. The bass Greer Grimsley, whose commanding Wotan was one of the highlights of the Atlanta Opera’s earlier Ring operas, was set to play the Wanderer, but he has been suffering from allergies and was unable to sing on opening night. And it’s not easy to find a Wotan on short notice to step in. Such are the challenges of live theater. But the Atlanta Opera forged a creative solution: On opening night, Grimsley acted and lip-synced the role on stage. Meanwhile, the Wanderer was actually sung by bass Kyle Albertson, who stood near the stage to the audience’s left. Kudos to the Atlanta Opera and Albertson, who brought a big, resonant and emotive bass to the role. What seemed like a potential disaster turned out to be a coup de théâtre. (As this review was being written, Atlanta Opera announced that Grimsley would be able to sing on the remaining performances.)

Siegfried can seem brooding at times. Its longueurs include extended patches of sung dialogue that recap earlier incidents in the Ring. It is a male-centered opera, too, and we don’t hear a female voice — and an offstage one at that — until deep into the second act. The voice belongs to the Forest Bird, sung in this production with a radiant soprano by Amber Norelai.

Siegfried doesn’t find Brünnhilde until late in Act III, more than four hours into the opera, and the two share a long duet. In this production, it’s well worth the wait. The electrifying Lise Lindstrom sings Brünnhilde with a laser-focused soprano, concluding the opera with a glorious high C, a note for the ages.

Among the others in the fine cast, Rodell Rosel is a nimble singing actor with a bright tenor as Mime, Siegfried’s scheming guardian. Alexander Köpeczi sings Fafner, formerly a giant but now a dragon, with a sonorous, stentorian bass.

Zachary Nelson brings a robust baritone to the role of the Nibelung Alberich. The opulent voiced Lindsay Ammann is Erda, the all-knowing Earth Mother.

For the uninitiated, Siegfried is a very long opera. The Atlanta Opera has wisely scheduled an early curtain for most performances. The opening night performance began at 6:30 p.m. and concluded at about 11:40 p.m., although that included a 50-minute intermission for dinner.

Those who thrill to the arias of Puccini or Verdi may find Siegfried mystifying. There seem to be few actual tunes. Still, the opera includes some of Wagner’s finest music, such as the aforementioned duet and Siegfried’s sword-forging scene in Act. I.

As in any Wagner opera, the composer’s leitmotifs weave a magic spell in the sizable orchestra. Conductor Roberto Kalb draws detailed and polished playing from the excellent Atlanta Opera Orchestra. Kalb maintains a generally brisk momentum and a careful balance between singers and orchestra.

Tomer Zvulun, the director, once again brings a dynamic vigor to an opera that can become static.

Jason Hines’ puppets are marvelous, striking a balance between horror and fairy tale.

The production itself is visually arresting, thanks to Erhard Rom’s set and projection design, aided by Robert Wierzel’s lighting and Mattie Ullrich’s costumes. Rom’s dark, industrial design for Mime’s forge contrasts strikingly with the bright bucolic set of Act II as the hero Siegfried journeys from darkness to light and youth displaces the old order.

The Atlanta Opera seems to have been inspired by the Bayreuth Festival to offer an extended intermission for the audience to get a bite to eat. It’s a splendid idea. During intermission at the Cobb Energy Centre’s outdoor cafe, I enjoyed a couple of moderately-priced tacos that were really quite wonderful. Plus, with an opera like Siegfried, one needs time during the acts to recharge.

That’s because the old admonition to “sit back, relax and enjoy the show” doesn’t work with Wagner. One must sit forward, maintain keen alertness … and enjoy the show. Wagner demands much from an audience, but the rewards are bountiful.

Where & When

Two more performances remain of Atlanta Opera’s Siegfried, on May 2 and May 4. The opera will be livestreamed beginning at 5:30 p.m. on May 2. See the Atlanta Opera’s website for more information. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta.

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Paul Hyde is a longtime arts journalist and English instructor in Upstate South Carolina. He writes frequently for the Greenville Journal, the South Carolina Daily Gazette and Classical Voice North America.