The first act ended with the lovers in a grassy patch, consummating their love. The sexual side of the relationship between the sibling lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde, played by tenor Brandon Jovanovich and soprano Elisabet Strid, respectively, was emphasized more than I’ve seen in other productions: as Siegmund drew the sword from the ash in Hunding’s home, Sieglinde lay on her back, arms stretched out above her head, hips in the air.

Two chairs adorned with the horns of the cuckold are placed on opposing ends of the rustic table, and we see a distraught Sieglinde chained to the ash tree, making Sieglinde’s plight abundantly clear. As the storm rages in the orchestra, Wotan directs the placement of set pieces, instructing the great ash to descend from above into Hunding’s home. The production opens with the setting of the stage – literally. It takes place in a theater where the audience can clearly see the stagehands roll set pieces around and act as puppeteers, manipulating the movements of horses carrying Brünnhilde and her Valkyrie sisters. This production exposes the magic behind the theatrics.

Chicago lyric opera