The Rheingold. A Different Story

The elf Alberich no longer wants to slave in the mine in Nibelheim and provide for the prosperity of the gods. He pushes upwards towards the light: better to be free in a foreign land than a servant at home. He does not know yet that society is mercilessly divided into winners and losers, but soon experiences this first-hand. When he meets the Rhine maidens, he is humiliated and ridiculed as a dwarf. But Alberich learns quickly. In revenge, he snatches the gold guarded by the maidens and forges a ring from it that gives him unlimited power. The gods are alarmed and now in turn try to rob Alberich. They are also busy cheating the giants who are building their new castle Valhalla out of their just rewards. The old order is tottering, and everywhere there is the threat of upheaval to the point of «world conflagration», which must be prevented at all costs. 

«A declaration of war on Richard Wagner.» (Rheinische Post)

«Feridun Zaimoglu and Günter Senkel close the gaps that Wagner once left … They portray the gods, the elves, the giants and, briefly, humans as driven people who ultimately always destroy themselves. Power is unequally distributed among them, but otherwise they are closer than they would like.» (Nachtkritik)

«Wagner’s cult of masculinity is picked apart here with relish and dark humour … A highly topical, highly political evening.» (Deutschlandfunk Kultur)