On April 28^th, 2026, the NCPA opera Siegfried, had its grand premiere, as a key piece in the repertoire for the NCPA Opera Festival 2026. Moreover, it marks a significant milestone in the NCPA’s ongoing journey through Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, following its successful presentation of the first two parts - Das Rheingold and Die Walküre - in the last two years.‌

As a pivotal part of Wagner’s tetralogy, the opera Siegfried depicts how the hero Siegfried, a key character in Der Ring des Nibelungen, grows and awakens. Critics think that Siegfried is the shiniest part of Der Ring des Nibelungen, given a perfect fusion of magnificence and natural charm in its music.

Under the baton of maestro Marcus Bosch, the China NCPA Orchestra gave an exquisite rendition of the music, capturing something profound and mellow from its melody. The leading motive of the Nibelung emerged first, instantly immersing the audience in the mythic world.‌

Mime, portrayed by tenor Arnold Bezuyen, is a cunning and duplicitous character. Singing the opening aria, he admitted to having ulterior motives for raising Siegfried. Then tenor Magnus Vigilius took the stage as Siegfried, portraying this fearless teen hero with his solid, sonorous voice, handsome look and upright posture. When Mime was agonising over his inability to reforge the sword Nothung, the Wanderer (Wotan), played by bass-baritone Egils Silins, appeared and made bets with Mime, reviewing the history of the characters in Der Ring des Nibelungen and what had happened before. As Siegfried returned to the forest hut, tenor Magnus Vigilius sang the iconic Schmiedelied in a vividly rendered stage atmosphere. The vocalist just performed in his resonant voice, sounding like ringing metal, to the accompaniment of magnificent orchestral music, bringing the first act to a triumphant close.

In the second act, Ólafur Sigurðarson appeared on the stage first as Alberich. He gave a vivid portrayal of Alberich, the original owner of “the Ring”, especially when the character showed anger, fear and greed in front of the Wanderer. The Wanderer woke up Fafner, the dragon, and issued a warning to him. At the same time, bass Ain Anger sang in his deep, rich voice behind the scenes, as if the character were singing in person. Amid the melody of “Waldesrauschen” played by the China NCPA Orchestra, Siegfried fell into contemplation about his origin in the woods. But after he awakened the dragon Fafner with his horn and killed this dragon with the sword Nothung, the Forest Bird, portrayed by soprano CAO Yaqing, began to chant the theme previously presented by the woodwind section in a clear, ethereal voice. Artistically, it was clear how “Siegfried became able to understand birds after drinking the dragon’s blood”. Magnus Vigilius and Arnold Bezuyen gave a wonderful, highly impressive performance, in which Siegfried saw through Mime’s plot. It was a scene riddled with intense conflict. He also felt at a loss as to how to use the ring after getting it.

In the beginning of the third act, the Goddess of Wisdom, Erda‌, played by mezzo-Soprano Nadezhda Karyazina, came to life slowly in response to the call from the Wanderer. She issued a warning to the head of gods about their tragic fate. The Wanderer blocked Siegfried’s way, only to have his spear cut off by the young hero’s sharp sword. Under ingenious and poetic stage direction, there emerged a cliffside crag surrounded by flames, standing high before the audience. Soprano Maida Hundeling took the stage as Brünnhilde. Awakened by Siegfried’s kiss, Brünnhilde sang in her high-pitched voice to greet the long-lost sunshine. After that, Maida Hundeling and Magnus Vigilius performed a splendid duet with their superb vocal skills, clearly revealing the unstoppable growing love between the two characters.

The creative team, headed by the renowned British opera director Lawrence Dale and set and costume designer Gary McCan, ensured a highly impressive stage presentation. Regarding the stage setting for this version, “nature” is an important background colour - whether it is the forest hut in the first act or the sunken arena stage‌ for Erda’s appearance in the third act, it is covered with green vegetation. Most notably, Siegfried made his first appearance together with many animals and spirits of the forest, such as the bear, all concretely visible. Physical actor Francesco Tuenci and several outstanding dancers gave captivating performances, making the stage presentation more interesting and vivid.

“The Ring”, which is the core motif of the entire opera, appears throughout the performance via a double-layer LED screen suspended above the stage‌. Whenever there is anything touching upon the ring or treasure, this stage device responds with dynamic lighting effects and vertical movement in synchronisation. Each scene or element, such as sword reforging, Siegfried’s battle with the dragon, or every symbol of destiny like fire, ash, thunder or lightning, can be vividly rendered before the audience in a highly technological and soul-stirring manner.