The Royal Opera: Götterdämmerung

The Royal Opera brings Götterdämmerung to Gloucester Guildhall on Wednesday 3 February 2027, screened in The Chamber. It's the final instalment of Richard Wagner's epic saga, and it's a big one. The story picks up with Siegfried deceived into betraying Brünnhilde, his treachery leading to devastation. Once she learns the truth of his innocence, Brünnhilde returns the ring to the Rhinemaidens and orders Valhalla to be swallowed in flames. It's a rich, apocalyptic drama, and the production is directed by Barrie Kosky, who sets it in a contemporary world of dream-like turmoil.

Antonio Pappano, Conductor Laureate of The Royal Opera, leads the music, which includes some of the most famous moments in the whole cycle: Siegfried's Funeral March and Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene. The performance is sung in German with English subtitles, and it runs 350 minutes across two intervals, so you'll want to clear a good chunk of your day for it. The music comes from the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus, with a cast led by Elisabet Strid, Andreas Schager and Mika Kares (though the cast is listed as TBC).

The screening is at Gloucester Guildhall, the county's premier arts venue, built in 1890 on the site of Sir Thomas Rich's Blue Coat School and known as 'The County's Liveliest Venue'. Tickets start from £13.50, and you can find them at gloucesterguildhall.co.uk.