The Nibelungen Saga is considered a heroic epic. In Worms, author Schmalz turns the historical material into a parable about current violence, mostly by men. The staging makes waves – literally.
Like a driverless train, the horrible saga of the Nibelungen rushes towards catastrophe. At the end there is betrayal, violence and a lust for murder. There is no life after heroic death.
This year’s Nibelungen Festival in Worms presents itself as a battlefield of the sexes with “hilden’s saga. a drama of a queen”. Would a world run by women be better, asks author Ferdinand Schmalz. Occasionally, the Ukraine war shimmers through the drama about dragon blood and loyalty to the Nibelungs on Friday evening.
Destiny takes its course as the evening light slowly fades away. Brünhild, Queen of Iceland, is taken to Worms with the help of Siegfried, the dragon slayer. Queen Kriemhild lives there with her three brothers. As a reward for his cunning, Siegfried receives Kriemhild as his wife, her brother Gunter marries Brünhild.
Rocking skulls
The double marriage is the beginning of a downward spiral of hatred that spirals downward at a dizzying pace. In the end, the two women unite against the system of a raping mate world.
Director Roger Vontobel stages “Hildensaga. ein königinnendrama” as a visually powerful variation of the historical material. With set designer Palle Steen Christensen he creates a river landscape with bubbling effects and bobbing skulls on the outdoor scene.
The ensemble wades, swims or dives through the wet element for almost the entire piece. Sometimes a fun-loving company with rubber animals and slippers frolics coolly at the pool, then again the water becomes a hostile moorland landscape. The message is that everything is in flux. During the rehearsals, the actors and actresses completed extra diving courses. There are surprising appearances and departures in the waves.
The Imperial Cathedral is also included. Spectacular video projections can be seen on the facade – such as the face of acting legend Mario Adorf (91), who sits on the board of trustees of the festival.
A commentary on the global political situation
“There is no other medieval epic in which women play such a decisive role in the action,” says author Schmalz. Do women do better? On the way to the answer, the ensemble in one of the oldest cities in Germany only finds more questions in the almost three-hour spectacle – and again and again horrific violence. “Out there,” says Brünhild in the final monologue, “wolfish times lurk.”
Schmalz definitely sees his play as a commentary on the geopolitical situation. “Sentences like that of President Vladimir Putin, that Russia hasn’t even started in Ukraine, could also be in the Nibelungenlied,” says the Austrian. Starting violence is “an easy moment, a tempting red button,” says Schmalz. “Quitting is a long, difficult process. Only when the bloody thread of fate breaks can something new emerge.” In his play, Brünhild says ominously: “Change is always dirty.”
The premiere on a day of war in Europe also gives the play a political note, says the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, as a guest in Worms. “How do you break the logic of war? That’s what this is about.”
Against the patriarchal power structures
In the key scene, Brünhild (Genija Rykova) and Kriemhild (Gina Haller) step out of their role as victims. Rykova and Haller first impressively show the quarrel of the queens, which in the original saga takes place right here: on the north side of the cathedral. But then the protagonists band together against the patriarchal power structures.
Director Vontobel draws a moral portrait for which director and Ufa boss Nico Hofmann did not bring any big “stars” to Worms this time. Since the beginning of the festival in 2002, there have always been well-known names such as Klaus Maria Brandauer or Jürgen Prochnow. This time Hofmann relies solely on an ensemble with extensive theater experience. The performances by Rykova and Haller are among the highlights of the play.
The male roles Siegfried (Felix Rech), Gunter (Franz Pätzold), Wotan (Werner Wölbern) and Hagen (Heiko Raulin) are also well cast. There is a lot of applause from the approximately 1400 spectators. The Nibelungenlied is one of the favorite sagas of the Germans. “Hildensaga. A Queen’s Drama” can be seen in Worms until July 31st. (dpa)