Tarnhelm Opera is a brand new company, committed to bringing Das Rheingoldby Richard Wagner to venues in the West of England and South Wales in the autumn of 2019.

Das Rheingold is the first of the four operas which make up Wagner’s celebrated Ring Cycle. We believe it is the ideal choice among Wagner’s output to reach out to new audiences, being the shortest of his operas – approximately two-and-a-half hours in length  – and yet still having the hallmarks of Wagner’s monumental handiwork. The storyline, rooted in a world of ancient myth, is compelling and moving. It is our expectation that curious newcomers to Wagner will thus enjoy the production alongside existing devotees.

There are few opportunities to experience Wagner’s operas other than in major opera houses and for good reason: The music is conceived on a grand scale and does not easily lend itself to reduced performances. The large size of the orchestras conceived by Wagner, though sumptuous to hear, puts notable upward pressure on ticket prices. The singing is frequently of a high intensity and calls for solo voices of considerable stamina.