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This spring, the Met's Live in HD presentations of Wagner's four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen return to movie theaters in the U.S. and Canada as a complete cycle, in Robert Lepage’s groundbreaking production. Met Music Director James Levine conducts the first two installments, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, and Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium for Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. And don’t miss Wagner’s Dream, a revealing new documentary about the making of this landmark theatrical event. Please check with your local movie theater for details.

  • Wagner's Dream

    A new documentary by Susan Froemke
    Canada Encore: June 9, 2012, 12:55 pm local time
    Estimated running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

    The stakes could not be higher as visionary director Robert Lepage, the world’s greatest singers, and the Metropolitan Opera tackle Wagner’s Ring cycle. Froemke’s film "remarkably captures every salient detail of this crazy ride... This really is about theatrical magic," says the Toronto Star. Wagner's Dream "mak[es] for a highly entertaining outing for operaphiles and operaphobes alike... Froemke never sacrifices the intricacies of artistic creation for cheap suspense" (Variety). “Rising well above the typical making-of feature” (Hollywood Reporter). "Dramatic documentary cinema... One of the few behind-the-scenes documentaries completely warranting the big screen treatment" (Libertas Film Magazine). "A breathtaking chronicle of [the Met’s] landmark production... [that] rapidly takes on the urgency of a thriller" (Independent Magazine).

  • Das Rheingold

    Estimated running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes

    Conceived by Wagner as a prologue to the Ring cycle, Das Rheingold sets forth the dramatic issues that play out in the three subsequent operas. Gold from the depths of the Rhine River is stolen by the dwarf Alberich, who uses it to forge a ring that will give him unlimited power. The theft sets in motion a course of events that will eventually alter the order of the universe. Bryn Terfel as Wotan, lord of the gods, heads the cast.

    Conductor: James Levine
    Cast: Wendy Bryn Harmer, Stephanie Blythe, Patricia Bardon; Richard Croft, Gerhard Siegel, Bryn Terfel, Eric Owens, Franz-Josef Selig, Hans-Peter König

    Original Live in HD transmission: October 9, 2010

  • Die Walküre

    Estimated running time: 4 hours, 20 minutes                    

    This extraordinarily powerful work of theater focuses on some of the Ring’s most interesting characters at decisive moments of their lives: Wotan, whose violation of his own laws has jeopardized the gods’ rule; his twin offspring, Siegmund and Sieglinde, who are meant to save the gods; and, above all, his heroic Valkyrie daughter Brünnhilde, who makes a fateful decision that shatters her world. This production marked soprano Deborah Voigt’s first performances as Brünnhilde. Bryn Terfel again is Wotan, Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek star as the twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde, and Stephanie Blythe sings Fricka.

    Conductor: James Levine
    Cast: Deborah Voigt, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Stephanie Blythe; Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, Hans-Peter König

    Original Live in HD transmission: May 14, 2011

  • Siegfried

    Estimated running time: 4 hours, 20 minutes

    Part three of the Ring follows the journey of Siegfried, son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, from naive fearless boy to supreme hero. With the re-forged sword of his father, he conquers magical obstacles to reach his prize, Brünnhilde. Jay Hunter Morris took over the title role, one of the most demanding in the repertoire, days before the production’s premiere and reprised his acclaimed portrayal in this live transmission the following week. Deborah Voigt is Brünnhilde and Bryn Terfel sings the Wanderer.

    Conductor: Fabio Luisi
    Cast: Deborah Voigt, Patricia Bardon; Jay Hunter Morris, Gerhard Siegel, Bryn Terfel, Eric Owens

    Original Live in HD transmission: November 5, 2011

  • Götterdämmerung 

    Estimated running time: 4 hours, 50 minutes

    The The Ring cycle concludes with a cataclysmic climax of betrayal and loss as focus shifts from the realm of the gods to the power and ambition of human beings. It is left to Brünnhilde, in the legendary Immolation Scene that brings the cycle to a close, to restore balance to the world. Deborah Voigt stars as Brünnhilde and Jay Hunter Morris is Siegfried—the star-crossed lovers doomed by fate.

    Conductor: Fabio Luisi
    Cast: Deborah Voigt, Wendy Bryn Harmer, Waltraud Meier; Jay Hunter Morris, Iain Paterson, Eric Owens, Hans-Peter König

    Original Live in HD transmission:  February 11, 2012