Unique in the history of opera, The Ring of the Nibelung is the colossal tetralogy Richard Wagner worked on for thirty years. First performed in 1869, the Prologue The Rhinegold unveils from its first telluric chord a world riddled with existential questions. Who will obtain the power of the ring forged from the gold of the Rhine? The gods, the giants or the Nibelungen?Borrowing from Norse and Germanic mythology, Wagner conceived an extraordinary cycle that reflected his innovative ambition: to create a total work of art inspired by ancient tragedy. As well as revolutionising the art of opera, he also devised theatrical material open to multiple interpretations.Director Calixto Bieito places The Rhinegold in a context dominated by digital virtuality and questions the impact of technology and science on human beings.

THE GODS Wotan: Ruler of the gods Fricka: Goddess of marriage, Wotan’s wife Donner: God of thunder, brother of Fricka, Freia and Froh Froh: God of spring, brother of Fricka, Freia and Donner Loge: Demi-god of fire Freia: Goddess of eternal youth, sister of Fricka, Donner and Froh Erda: Mother-goddess of EarthTHE GIANTS Fafner: Fasolt’s brother FasoltTHE NIBELUNGEN Alberich: A deformed and grasping dwarf Mime: A blacksmith, Alberich’s brotherTHE RHINEMAINDENS Woglinde Wellgunde Flosshilde

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L’Or du Rhin (Festival RING) - FR

L’Or du Rhin (Festival RING) - EN

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Das Rheingold, from 6 to 15 November 2026 at the Opéra Bastille

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Unique in the history of opera, The Ring of the Nibelung is the colossal tetralogy Richard Wagner worked on for thirty years. First performed in 1869, the Prologue The Rhinegold unveils from its first telluric chord a world riddled with existential q

Richard Wagner

Das Rheingold (RING Festival)

The Paris Opera continues its exploration of Richard Wagner’s colossal Ring, directed by Calixto Bieito. After the final scene of The Rhinegold, in which the gods ascend to Walhalla, The Valkyrie, the second part of the cycle, focuses on humans in the form of twins Sieglinde and Siegmund.While their irrepressible, incestuous passion unleashes the wrath of Fricka, the goddess of marriage, it deeply moves the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, prompting her to defy her father, the god Wotan.To express the power of human love, but also the contradictions of a god who wishes to engender a being who is free yet subject to his own will, Richard Wagner writes music that is by turns lyrical and sensual, fiery and heroic, like the famous “Ride of the Valkyries”.

Coast Mountains #15, Receding Glacier, British Columbia, Canada, 2023

LA WALKYRIE - 1

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La Walkyrie (Festival RING) - FR

La Walkyrie (Festival RING) - EN

Die Walküre, from 7 to 17 November 2026 at the Opéra Bastille

The Paris Opera continues its exploration of Richard Wagner’s colossal Ring, directed by Calixto Bieito. After the final scene of The Rhinegold, in which the gods ascend to Walhalla, The Valkyrie, the second part of the cycle, focuses on humans in th

Die Walküre (RING Festival)

With Siegfried, staged in Calixto Bieito’s new production, the Paris Opera presents the third part of Richard Wagner’s extraordinary undertaking, the Ring of the Nibelung. Siegfried, the son of Sieglinde and Siegmund, has become a dauntless young man who knows no fear.Armed with his sword Notung, he sets off on an adventure, defeating the dragon Fafner before seizing the ring, unaware of its power. Crossing the flames that encircle Brünnhilde, he awakens her from her long sleep, ushering in a mutual love that will profoundly transform them.To describe the initiatory journey of this free and instinctive hero, representing the hope of a new world, Richard Wagner’s orchestral writing unfolds with impressive scope. Murmuring forests, horns and dramatic dialogues build to a crescendo until the final duet between Siegfried and Brünnhilde, one of the pinnacles of the Ring.

Siegfried: Son of the late Siegmund and Sieglinde, raised by Mime Mime: A Nibelung who seeks to seize the Ring of Power The Traveller: Wotan, god of the gods, Siegfried’s grandfather The Forest Bird: Siegfried’s allyAlberich: A Nibelung, originator of the Ring’s curse Fafner: A giant transformed into a dragon, guardian of the Ring Erda: Goddess of the Earth Brünnhilde: Valkyrie, daughter of Wotan and Erda The Forest Bird: Siegfried’s ally

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Siegfried (RING Festival) - FR

Siegfried (Festival RING) - EN

Siegfried, from 10 to 19 November 2026 at the Opéra Bastille

With Siegfried, staged in Calixto Bieito’s new production, the Paris Opera presents the third part of Richard Wagner’s extraordinary undertaking, the Ring of the Nibelung. Siegfried, the son of Sieglinde and Siegmund, has become a dauntless young man

Siegfried (RING Festival)

In Götterdämmerung, Siegfried takes leave of Brünnhilde to travel the world and accomplish new feats. These will be his last: during his journey along the Rhine, he falls victim to a sinister plot hatched by Alberich and his son Hagen. The downfall of the gods is now inevitable... Bringing the Ring cycle to a close with Götterdämmerung, its most metaphysical chapter, Richard Wagner unleashes music as blazing as the pyre on which Brünnhilde immolates herself. Emotion runs equally high, as in Siegfried’s Funeral March, one of the score’s most striking orchestral passages.Premiered in 1876 at the inaugural Bayreuth Festival, the work is presented here in a production by Calixto Bieito, thus concluding his vision of the Ring Cycle for the Paris Opera, begun in 2025.

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Le Crépuscule des dieux - FR

Le Crépuscule des dieux - EN

In Götterdämmerung, Siegfried takes leave of Brünnhilde to travel the world and accomplish new feats. These will be his last: during his journey along the Rhine, he falls victim to a sinister plot hatched by Alberich and his son Hagen. The downfall o