The prayers of a desperate woman are answered in the form of a noble warrior in Wagner's most accessible opera, which contrasts the lust for power with the search for faith.

The title role is sung by Brandon Jovanovich, "a first-rate Wagner tenor" (San Francisco Chronicle) who was an electrifying Siegmund in the 2011 production Die Walküre.

Soprano Camilla Nylund "evokes an affecting degree of dreamy distance in Elsa's account of her mysterious savior as his doubt-plagued bride.

 

Daniel Slater's "thoughtful and tasteful" production also features veteran Wagnerians Kristinn Sigmundsson, Gerd Grochowski and Petra Lang.