17 episódios
Soft Valkyrie Richard Wagner, David Kanaga (composition and arrangement), Stephen Fry (narrator), Bryan the Mensah (Siegmund), Hailey Clark (Sieglinde), Attila Csihar (Hunding), Mattijs van de Woerd (Wotan), Nadine Secunde (Fricka), Claron McFadden (Brünnhilde)
-
- Música
Can someone whisper Die Walküre in your ear? With opera, you do not think of whispers or sighs but of strong classical voices in grand, spectacular set pieces. But the composer and game designer David Kanaga has turned Richard Wagner’s famous opera into a podcast. In Die Walküre, the second part of Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen, the supreme god Wotan punishes his daughter Brünnhilde for not following his orders. He makes her mortal and locks her up in a mountain surrounded by fire. While closely following Wagner’s notes and storyline, Kanaga’s background in the world of gaming can be heard in his use of electronic instruments and sound effects full of humour, drama and mysticism. The parts are sung by an atypical cast, ranging from classically trained vocalists like Claron McFadden to the demonic voice artist Attila Csihar – sung to be listened to on headphones rather than in an opera house. The result is intimate, light and less domineering than the original. One might even say: soft. A warm narrating voice turns Wagner’s stage instructions into a magical radio play in which the entire drama takes place in listeners’ imagination.Each of the three acts of Die Walküre will be divided into several podcast episodes for Soft Valkyrie. The episodes of the first act will be released on June 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th. The episodes of the second and third acts will follow later.
-
Episode 1 - Familiar Strangers (Act 1)
Note: to hear Soft Valkyrie with live English, German or Dutch subtitles, please go to Youtube. Click here for the full-score and for the libretto. Welcome to Soft Valkyrie, a podcast version of Die Walküre, the second and most intimate opera of Wagner’s Ring cycle. You are entering a realm of gods, dwarves, giants, horses, money, contracts, and dogs. In this episode, we meet Siegmund (Bryan the Mensah). On the run from his enemies, he seeks shelter in a house in the woods. There h...
-
Episode 2 - The Master of the House (Act 1)
Hunding arrives home. Unhappy to find a stranger there with his wife and brimming with suspicion, he embarks on an intense interrogation of his guest. Note: to hear Soft Valkyrie with live English, German or Dutch subtitles, please go to Youtube. Click here for the full-score and for the libretto. Soft ValkyriePresented and commissioned by Holland Festival in collaboration with Staatsoper Hannover and Dutch National Opera. Full CreditsMusic and libretto - Richard WagnerEnglish tra...
-
Episode 3 - No Escape (Act 1)
Hunding jumps up and reveals that he knows that Siegmund is not just any guest. He is the man Hunding and his crew had been chasing. He offers him one night of repose under his roof, and announces to fight him the following morning. Note: to hear Soft Valkyrie with live English, German or Dutch subtitles, please go to Youtube. Click here for the full-score and for the libretto. Soft ValkyriePresented and commissioned by Holland Festival in collaboration with Staatsoper Hannover and Dutc...
-
Episode 4 - Kisses in the Night (Act 1)
Episode 4: Kisses in the NightSiegmund, all alone and desperate, discovers the sword his father had left for him in the ash tree. With her husband Hunding fast asleep, Sieglinde re-enters the room. The two indulge in their incestuous desire. Note: to hear Soft Valkyrie with live English, German or Dutch subtitles, please go to Youtube. Click here for the full-score and for the libretto. Soft ValkyriePresented and commissioned by Holland Festival in collaboration with Staatsoper Han...
-
Episode 5 – Wotan & Brunhilde (Act 2)
When we left off, Siegmund and Sieglinde had just embarked on their incestuous adventure, leaving behind Sieglinde’s cuckolded husband Hunding to wake up to the bad news at dawn. We've since walked several miles from the forest of Hunding's hut, and are now at the base of a mountain where the couple's father spends his time–Wolf, as they called him, or Wotan, Odin–god of contracts and bad weather. It is a new day, at high noon. Let's see what happens next. Click here for the full-score ...
-
Episode 6 – Fricka (Act 2)
Previously on Soft Valkyrie, Wotan had a brief meeting with his daughter, the Valkyrie Brunhilde. No sooner had he commanded her to aid Siegmund in the coming battle with Hunding, the great god’s wife arrived with a different plan. Click here for the full-score and for the libretto. Soft ValkyriePresented and commissioned by Holland Festival in collaboration with Staatsoper Hannover and Dutch National Opera. Full CreditsMusic and libretto - Richard WagnerEnglish translation ...