From the clever Personenregie, deep themes about populism and religious extremism, and ironic homages to traditional depictions of Valhalla, Kratzer brings an exciting vision to Wagner’s tetralogy. Nicholas Brownlee as Wotan and Sean Panikkar as Loge stood out for their commanding presences on stage. This summer’s Die Walküre will focus on shelter and belonging and will surely be yet another intriguing spectacle.

Michael M. Landman-Karny agrees:

The walls of Munich’s National Theatre didn’t merely contain Wagner, they channeled him. What emerged from the orchestra pit wasn’t reverence but rupture, not tradition but transformation. At a moment when established institutions face unprecedented challenges to their authority, Kratzer’s vision of pagan gods occupying Christian altars speaks directly to our contemporary moment of religious and cultural upheaval.