Anna Gabler

From the Semperoper Dresden, 2006 Fairy-tale Opera in three acts by Engelbert Humperdinck based on a libretto by Adelheid Wette

This is the Ring cycle of the Dutch National Opera, directed by Pierre Audi. In the depths of the Rhine, the three Rhinemaidens guard the Rhinegold, a treasure of immeasurable value. The Nibelung dwarf Alberich is dazzled by the sight of it. The girls explain that whoever wins the gold and forges it into a ring will gain power over the world, but must first renounce love. Frustrated by his unsuccessful attempts to catch one of the girls, Alberich curses love and steals the gold. Wotan, lord of the gods, is reproached by his wife Fricka: he has promised to give Freia, goddess of youth, to the giants Fasolt and Fafner in return for their building a fortress for the gods. When the giants demand their reward, Loge, the god of fire, suggests an alternative payment: the ring Alberich has forged from the Rhinegold, and his other treasures. The giants agree, and Wotan and Loge leave for the Nibelungs’ underground home.

From the Teatro Comunale di Bologna comes Richard Strauss's "Elektra" in a production directed by Flemish director Guy Joosten. Conducting is Lothar Zagrosek, an expert in the Strauss repertoire. Elena Nebera takes the title role, accompanied by Natascha Petrinsky, Anna Gabler, Jan Vacik, and Thomas Hall. Television direction by Cristina Fayad.

In “a Wagner staging to treasure” (The Sunday Telegraph), the 2011 Glyndebourne Festival brings to life the legendary German composer’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Staged by David McVicar, the production features an all-star cast of leads supported by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski.