What you need to know about Der Ring des Nibelungen
Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen is opera on a monumental scale: an entire universe stretching from creation to the end of the world. Here is what you need to know.
A rare opportunity to experience Der Ring des Nibelungen
The universe begins in darkness, in the depths of the Rhine. Something glitters there, something that can grant unlimited power, but only to those who renounce love.
From 2027 to 2029, you can experience this great work at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet. It will then be more than 30 years since we last performed it. This is a rare opportunity.
Q&A
But what is it really about? Here are answers to the questions we think you may have:
What is Der Ring des Nibelungen, really?
When will I find out who sings the different roles?
Do I need to know a lot about opera to enjoy it?
Do I have to see all four works to enjoy Der Ring des Nibelungen?
How can I prepare and learn more?
What is the connection to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
How will I manage to sit in the opera house for that long?
What is Der Ring des Nibelungen, really?
Richard Wagner wrote both the text and the music for Der Ring des Nibelungen between 1848 and 1874. He conceived it as a “stage festival drama” for the opera house he had built for this purpose in Bayreuth, where it was first presented in full in 1876.
Der Ring des Nibelungen tells one large story, but consists of four works:
Das Rheingold
Die Walküre
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
This amounts to a total of 15 hours of music, but you take it one part, one work, at a time.
Der Ring des Nibelungen is not like a regular opera with arias and set pieces that create natural pauses for applause. Here, the music flows almost without interruption, and the orchestra tells as much of the story as the singers do. Everything is written as one continuous drama, where every note, rhythm and motif drives the story forward. As an audience member, you are drawn into the action from the first note to the last, as if following an epic adventure without interruption.
Performing Der Ring des Nibelungen requires major resources: more than 100 musicians in the orchestra, around 40 soloists, a chorus, as well as large-scale technical and scenic resources.
Wagner himself called Das Rheingold the “preliminary evening”, and it lasts 2.5 hours without an interval.
Die Walküre lasts around 5 hours and 30 minutes, including two intervals.
Siegfried lasts around 5 hours and 45 minutes, including two intervals.
Götterdämmerung lasts around 6 hours, including two intervals.
Because the music is live and dynamic, the exact duration depends on the conductor’s chosen tempi.
Das Rheingold premieres on 22 January 2027 and will be performed in January and February 2027.
Die Walküre premieres in January 2028 and will be performed in January, February and March 2028.
Siegfried premieres in September 2028 and will be performed in September and October 2028.
Götterdämmerung premieres in January 2029 and will be performed in January, February and March 2029.
The complete cycle, all four works in one week: In spring 2029, you can experience all four over four evenings in the same week.
Tickets for Das Rheingold are available at operaen.no.
Tickets for Die Walküre will be available in spring 2027.
Tickets for Siegfried, Götterdämmerung and the complete cycle will be available in spring 2028.
We expect high demand, so it is worth booking early.
If you subscribe to the Opera’s newsletter, you will get early access to tickets.
The story of Der Ring des Nibelungen is based on a mixture of different myths. Wagner drew on the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, the Germanic Völsunga saga, and the German heroic poem Nibelungenlied from around 1200, transforming them into something entirely his own.
In short, the Ring is about a struggle between loveless power and powerless love.
It is a story about gods, demigods and humans. Among the central figures are:
Alberich – a Nibelung, or night-elf, who steals the gold from the depths of the Rhine and forges it into a coveted but cursed ring.
Wotan – or Odin, as we know him from Norse mythology. He has built a palace, Valhalla, which he cannot really afford, and takes the ring from Alberich so he can settle his debt. This will have major consequences for several generations.
Brünnhilde – the rebellious daughter of Wotan and the earth goddess Erda. Brünnhilde is a Valkyrie, a divine warrior woman who chooses who will die in battle and who will be taken to Valhalla, where fallen heroes receive eternal life and honour. When she witnesses true love between humans, she defies her father’s will. As punishment, she must become human herself and is laid to sleep, surrounded by fire.
Siegfried – son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, who are humans with divine blood. He grows up with Mime, Alberich’s brother. Mime wants him to forge a sword that can kill the dragon guarding the ring. We know him as “Sigurd the Dragon Slayer” from Norse mythology. Siegfried is strong and fearless, but not very clever. When he finds the sleeping Brünnhilde and wakes her with a kiss, a central love story in the tale begins. This love is challenged by magic potions, ordinary relationship problems and Siegfried’s weaknesses, until Brünnhilde takes matters into her own hands, with dramatic consequences …
In addition to these four, we meet around 35 other larger and smaller roles. The Opera Chorus also takes part, but only in the final part: Götterdämmerung. The Opera Orchestra, with around 110 musicians in the orchestra pit, plays from the first note to the last.
No, Der Ring des Nibelungen is not difficult. Both the story and the music speak directly to us. Although there are gods, elves and heroes on stage, this is about situations and relationships we can recognise: the relationship between parents and children, the dynamics between spouses, disappointments and victories, jealousy and shame, infatuation and contempt, power struggles and desire. Wagner also helps us by letting the characters on stage regularly recount what has happened since the last time.
Everything is sung in German, but you can read the text in Norwegian or English on the seatback in front of you.
The music is highly melodic. It is large in scale, but not difficult. Wagner built Der Ring des Nibelungen around a series of so-called leitmotifs, melodies that are easy to recognise and are linked to different characters, objects and phenomena. When the ring appears in the action, we always hear a specific musical idea. When Wotan broods over power, we hear another. Gradually, the melodies become clearer to us. Over time, the music starts to feel familiar.
The Ring is about how we again and again sacrifice what is good in order to gain power and honour. It is about creating and building, failing, and building again. It is also about how we exploit nature for our own gain. This remains, perhaps unfortunately, just as relevant. The story unfolds through Wagner’s music, which has endured for 150 years, and there is little to suggest that it will be less relevant 150 years from now.
That said, how relevant Der Ring des Nibelungen is depends on us as viewers and listeners. What we will see and read into this story, we do not yet know. But we know that we have engaged a highly competent team to stage it for us. Everything is in place for this to become a Ring of and for our time.
German director Tatjana Gürbaca will stage the production, together with set designer Henrik Ahr, costume designer Barbara Drosihn and lighting designer Stefan Bolliger. Gürbaca is an internationally recognised theatre artist, known for her psychologically precise interpretations of human relationships. She has previously staged La traviata and Rusalka at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet.
The music will be conducted by Edward Gardner, the Opera’s Music Director.
When will I find out who sings the different roles?
The cast list for each work will be announced as the individual works are launched in spring 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Der Ring des Nibelungen is regularly staged in opera houses around the world, but rarely in Norway. The last time the Norwegian National Opera staged it was in 1993–96. When the first of the four works premieres in January 2027, it will have been more than 30 years since the last time.
Do I need to know a lot about opera to enjoy it?
No. Even if you have never experienced an opera performance before, you can enjoy this adventure. The story is not difficult to understand. The music is large in scale, but beautiful.
Still, we recommend getting to know the plot and the work in advance. That always makes the experience more enjoyable. You can do this through our website, which will gradually be filled with more content, by attending the introduction one hour before each performance, or by joining the Studie-Ringen.
Do I have to see all four works to enjoy Der Ring des Nibelungen?
No. The four works can easily be experienced separately. The characters on stage regularly retell what has happened since the last time. But of course, it is best to join the whole journey, if you have the chance.
The top prices for these four works will be in the upper range of the Opera’s price scale. But, as always, it will be possible to choose less expensive seats. We would also like to remind you that everyone under the age of 30 can buy tickets at a 50% discount.
How can I prepare and learn more?
You can do this through our website, which will gradually be filled with more content, by listening to podcasts, by attending the introduction one hour before each performance, or by joining the Studie-Ringen.
What is the connection to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings are both based on some of the same sources from Norse and Germanic mythology. Both worlds share the idea of a ring that grants power, but also destroys the one who owns it. Still, that is where most of the similarities end. Tolkien himself also rejected the idea that he was inspired by Wagner, and the differences between the works are considerable, in tone, philosophy, views on power and the role of women. Wagner’s universe includes several strong women.
How will I manage to sit in the opera house for that long?
Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are admittedly long, but they also include generous intervals, during which you can stretch your legs and buy or pre-order food and drinks.
Besides, the action and the music are so compelling that the hours will fly by. Think of it as a journey we in the audience take together. When we come out on the other side, we will be richer for the experience, and perhaps a little different from when we went in.