Fairy Tales of Science: Hermann Grampp marvels at a superlative ‘Ring’ in Berlin

Review of Der Ring des Nibelungen, directed Tcherniakov, conducted Thielemann, Berlin Staatsoper, 2025.

March 2026, Volume 20, Number 1, 66–8.

This is the Ring of our time. Musically, predominantly. This extraordinary quality has to do with the outstanding form of Christian Thielemann and his orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, but also with an excellent cast of singers. It is an extraordinary tetralogy despite the production of Dmitri Tcherniakov. Since the premiere in 2022, which deeply impressed this reviewer, both the musical and the scenic performances have improved: this Ring has grown better over time. However, it shall not remain in Wagnerian memory as one of the great Ring productions in history.