A Historic Milestone: Götterdämmerung at Lucerne Festival

“The Wagner Cycles” tour continued at Lucerne Festival, where the Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln under the direction of Kent Nagano presented Wagner’s Götterdämmerung on 10 September 2026.

The performance marked the first historically informed presentation of Wagner’s monumental Ring project in the history of Lucerne Festival. The project combines musicological research into historical playing and singing styles with reconstructed instruments, including Wagner tubas and bull horns.

Urs Mattenberger wrote in the Luzerner Zeitung on 12 September 2026, describing the performance as:

“[…] A historic milestone.”

He particularly highlighted the sound of the orchestra:

“Here, too, the orchestral sound, with the distinctive, airy and bright colours of the winds, is of incredible freshness and transparency.”

The vocal ensemble also received particular praise:

“The excellent vocal ensemble, down to the supporting roles, also developed a more sharply defined theatrical profile.”

[Read the full review]