Shining love, laughing death

With The Wagner Cycles, Kent Nagano, Concerto Köln, and the Dresdner Festspielorchester embark on a groundbreaking musical journey: presenting Richard Wagner’s monumental Ring des Nibelungen in historically informed performance for the very first time. Based on extensive musicological research and in close collaboration with the academic project “Wagner-Lesarten,” this ambitious undertaking seeks to rediscover Wagner’s original sonic vision.

Following the highly acclaimed performances of Das Rheingold in 2023 and Die Walküre in 2024, the cycle now continues with Siegfried — the third part of Wagner’s epic tetralogy.

At the heart of the project is a return to the sound world Wagner himself imagined in the 19th century — using period instruments, historically grounded playing techniques, and a deliberately leaner orchestral setup. The result is a strikingly new perspective on the Ring: transparent, dramatic, immediate, and rich in tonal color.

Kent Nagano, one of the most visionary conductors of our time, leads this international pioneering project with clarity and artistic depth. Together with Concerto Köln — one of the world’s foremost period ensembles — and the Dresdner Festspielorchester, The Wagner Cycles invites us to hear Wagner’s epic anew.

This is more than a performance; it is a dialogue between past and present — and a milestone in the ongoing exploration of Wagner’s music through the lens of historical authenticity.

 

"What the orchestra unfolded under Nagano was more than just playing on original instruments."

"The woodwinds shone with flexibility and depth of expression. The cor anglais, which mischievously imitated Siegfried's mischievously imitated Siegfried's pipe attempt, provided one of the most charming moments of the evening."

(11.04.25 General-Anzeiger, Bernhard Hartmann)

 

"The excellent comprehensibility of the text, to which Wagner attached great importance, was striking."

"Kent Nagano had the idea for the “Wagner readings” with Concerto Köln, which specializes in historical performance practice and which he expanded into a project orchestra under the name Dresden Festival Orchestra."

(14.04.25 Das OPernmagazin, Ursula Hartlapp-Lindemeyer)