Götterdämmerung

STORY

Prior story

The Nibelung dwarf Alberich once stole the Rhinegold to forge a ring that grants its wearer limitless power. Since then, gods, giants, Nibelungs and humans have battled each other to get their hands on the precious jewel. But the curse that Alberich put on the ring continues; the Rhinemaidens still await the return of the gold treasure entrusted to them. Siegfried, the hero who gained possession of the ring and the magical Tarnhelm when he killed the dragon Fafner, is not yet aware of the power of the curse. For now, he remains unaffected by its pernicious effects.

‘Now rend, ye Norns, your rope of runes! Dusk of gods in darkness arise! Night of their downfall dawn in mist!’, sings Brünnhilde at the end of Siegfried, after the hero has awoken her from a deep sleep. The end of the world as we know it is near. Can Siegfried still turn the tide?

Prologue

The three Norns, daughters of the primordial mother Erda, spin the threads of fate. They foresee the end of the world, but fail to realize that the threat is now quite imminent. Once, the supreme god Wotan visited them at the World tree. In exchange for one of his eyes, he took a branch of the tree to make his spear from it. The tree then withered, however, and its wood was piled up around Valhalla. The Norns question each other about past and future: How is the world doing? What is about to happen? Then, when the thread of fate (rope of runes) suddenly tears, their eternal knowledge comes to an end. They descend to Erda in the womb of the Earth.

Brünnhilde and Siegfried have chosen to live together. For Siegfried, it is time to perform new heroic deeds. Brünnhilde, who has lost her former divine powers, urges him to leave, on condition that he always keeps their love pact in mind. Siegfried gives Brünnhilde the ring as a token of his love. In exchange, she gives him Grane, her Valkyrie horse.

Siegfried sails down the Rhine towards the Hall of the Gibichungs, where King Gunther rules with his sister Gutrune. They are assisted by their half-brother Hagen, who must reclaim the ring for his father Alberich.

Act I

Scene 1

The Hall of the Gibichungs on the Rhine. Gunther doubts he has sufficient standing at court. Hagen advises him to marry in order to improve his status. A certain Brünnhilde would be a good candidate for him: but for this, the fire that surrounds her must be overcome. Gunther cannot do so, but the hero Siegfried can, who in turn would be a good match for Gutrune. Using cunning, they can pull off this double marriage. A magic potion from Hagen will make Siegfried forget Brünnhilde and render him amenable to a new union. Gunther and Gutrune agree to Hagen’s perfidious plan. The sound of horns announces Siegfried’s arrival at the Hall of the Gibichungs.

Scene 2

Siegfried is delighted by the friendship extended to him by his host. But the welcome drink contains the magic potion concocted by Hagen; as soon as Siegfried drinks, he forgets Brünnhilde and falls in love with Gutrune. To win her hand, he promises to get Brünnhilde as a bride for Gunther. Hagen explains how Siegfried can use the magic helmet – until now, the hero was unaware of the use of the object. Before they make their way to Brünnhilde, Siegfried and Gunther swear blood brotherhood.

Scene 3

Waltraute visits her sister Brünnhilde, who has remained alone, and brings ominous news from Valhalla: Wotan has had the World tree cut down for firewood and has piled it up around Valhalla. He now awaits the downfall. Brünnhilde might still avert this fate if she returns the ring to the Rhinemaidens. This is the reason for Waltraute’s visit: she hopes to convince her sister to relinquish the ring. But now that Brünnhilde is mortal and has come to know love through Siegfried, she does not want to part with the token of love he gave her. Waltraute leaves in a state of incomprehension.

The sound of horns announces Siegfried’s arrival. But the man who strides through the fire seems to be a stranger to Brünnhilde: after all, thanks to the magical Tarnhelm, Siegfried has taken on the guise of Gunther. He violently takes the ring from Brünnhilde. She is now Gunther’s bride and Siegfried forces her to spend the night with him while the sword Nothung lies between them.

Act II

Scene 1

On the banks of the Rhine in front of the Hall of the Gibichungs, Hagen keeps guard, half-asleep. As if in a dream, his father Alberich appears and makes him swear to do everything in his power to get the ring and avenge the injustice done by Wotan. Not that Hagen needs such encouragement: Alberich has ‘bred a tenacious hatred in him’.

Scene 2

At daybreak, Siegfried and Gunther have switched places, unnoticed, at Brünnhilde’s side. With the help of the Tarnhelm, Siegfried has returned to the hall, while Brünnhilde and Gunther follow later. Gutrune questions Siegfried about how he won Brünnhilde for Gunther, and after ascertaining Siegfried’s chastity, she asks Hagen to invite the vassals to the double wedding.

Scene 3

Hagen gathers his men, who are surprised that they have been called, not to battle, but rather to celebrate. Spirits are high and the company welcomes Brünnhilde and Gunther.

Scene 4

Among the men, Brünnhilde recognizes Siegfried, who, to her dismay, is introduced as Gutrun’s groom. Siegfried, however, does not appear to recognize her. He wears a ring on his finger: the same ring she once received from Siegfried and which ‘Gunther’ forcibly took from her. She wants to expose the betrayal and Hagen throws oil on the fire. Brünnhilde claims that Siegfried is her husband and that he ‘forced desire and love on her’. Siegfried insists that he did not betray the blood brotherhood and that he did not touch Brünnhilde: the sword Nothung guarded his honour. Siegfried swears that Hagen may kill him if he is not speaking the truth. But Brünnhilde makes a similar oath. To break the deadlock, Siegfried calls on everyone to put aside discord and surrender to the joy of marriage. He leads Gutrune to the feast.

Scene 5

Gunther and Brünnhilde stay behind with Hagen. He skilfully plays on their hurt feelings and convinces them that Siegfried must die to avenge this betrayal. Afterwards, Gunther will be able to get the ring off Siegfried. Brünnhilde reveals to Hagen that Siegfried has a vulnerable spot on his back: that is where the hero can be struck. The trio decide that Siegfried will die the next day during a hunting party.

Act III

Scene 1

The three Rhinemaidens amuse themselves in the Rhine and await Siegfried’s arrival. The sound of horns announces the hero. The nymphs first want to persuade him with teasing flattery to give them back the ring. Then they tell him that the ring bears a curse and that Siegfried will suffer the same fate as the dragon Fafner he killed. The nymphs gradually realize, however, that Siegfried is impervious to their pleas: ‘Blindly he rushes towards his doom.’ They leave and now put their hopes in Brünnhilde, who will inherit Siegfried’s possessions that same day.

Scene 2

The entire hunting party joins Siegfried. Gunther is downcast, but Siegfried is in excellent spirits, even if his hunt isn’t very successful. Hagen gives him a new potion that will restore his memory and listens to him talk about his earlier years. Siegfried recounts how he grew up with Mime. Siegfried now also remembers how he kissed and woke Brünnhilde. Gunther jumps up furiously, causing two ravens (Wotan’s ravens) to fly off. Siegfried is distracted by these unique birds and Hagen strikes him in the back. To the horrified hunting party, he explains that he has thus avenged Siegfried’s treachery. Before dying, Siegfried thinks back to his bride: ‘Brünnhilde grants me her greeting!’

Scene 3

Gutrune anxiously awaits the return of the hunting party. Hagen approaches her, with in his wake the procession carrying Siegfried’s corpse. He wants to make Gutrune believe that Siegfried was killed by a boar, but she understands that he was murdered in cold blood. Gunther accuses Hagen of this murder and the half-brothers fight over the ring on Siegfried’s finger. Hagen kills Gunther, but when he wants to take possession of the ring, the hand of the dead Siegfried rises in a threatening gesture. Brünnhilde comes to grasp the reason for Siegfried’s betrayal and swears revenge. On the banks of the Rhine, she has a great pyre erected. She invokes Wotan and the other gods because she now knows everything and understands everything. She is going to take the ring into the fire, so that it can then return to the Rhine, as requested by the Rhinemaidens. Before plunging into the flames on the horse Grane, Brünnhilde sends Wotan’s ravens back to Valhalla, where they will inform the god what has happened on the Rhine. The flames rise as the river bursts its banks. In the waves, the Rhinemaidens appear where the pyre was. Hagen plunges into the water to get hold of the ring and is dragged underwater by two of the nymphs. The third nymph jubilantly retrieves the ring from the fire. When the Rhine has returned to its normal bed, the flames reach Valhalla, where the gods and heroes are surrounded by fire.