San Francisco Opera: Das Rheingold
May 29th-June 22nd
War Memorial Opera House
Power forged by greed.
Glowing in the depths of the Rhine River lies magical gold, protected by three Rhinemaidens. Forsaking love, the mercenary Nibelung Alberich steals the treasure and forges a ring of immense power. When Wotan needs to pay the Giants for the building of Valhalla, he sets out to steal the gold from Alberich. These thefts set in motion an upending of world order, the repercussions of which not even Wotan can foresee.
Das Rheingold heralds the beginning of Wagner’s heroic tetralogy: The Ring of the Nibelung. Continuing her multi-year exploration of Wagner, Music Director Eun Sun Kim takes on this celebrated epic, leading the San Francisco Opera Orchestra into the dawn of The Ring. Francesca Zambello’s visionary production brings Wagner’s timeless story close to home and into the 19th-century Gold Rush.
Das Rheingold is the prologue to Wagner’s most dramatic work, which will take the stage in three full cycles in June 2028.
Run Time
2 hours and 30 minutes with no intermission
Language
Sung in German with English supertitles