GRAND THEATRE GENEVE PRESENTS:

“Sigurd”

Opera in 4 acts by Ernest Reyer
Libretto by Camille Du Locle and Alfred Blau based on the Nibelungenlied. First performed on 1 January in Brussels at the Théatre de la Monnaie.

Concert Version
At the Victoria Hall

Sung in French
Duration: approx. 3:00 (including intermission)

Performance dates:

sun 06 oct 13 – 19:30  

tue 08 oct 13 – 19:30  

thu 10 oct 13 – 19:30 

Three exceptional concert performances of French grand opera’s answer to the Ring cycle. Infrequently staged, Ernest Reyer’s Sigurd features all the characters present in Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods but sticks closer to the medieval legends and Norse sagas that inspired Wagner’s own Germanic epos. No grand opéra is complete without inspirational choral and ballet music; in this respect, Sigurd promises a thrilling evening off opera’s beaten paths.

Grand Théâtre Opera Chorus
Director Ching-Lien Wu
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

In the mists of the Dark Ages, along the Rhine, Sigurd the hero is drugged by Hilda, sister to his friend King Gunther, into loving her. Sigurd and Gunther then go to Iceland to wake the maid Brunehild from an enchanted sleep and a circle of flames. Although Sigurd does the deed, Brunehilde is tricked to believe Gunther is her saviour. The effects of potions and trickery wearing off, Sigurd and Brunehilde will find love in each other’s arms, but Gunther’s treachery is still afoot and a terrible, tragic end awaits them both.