“Superb singing and spectacular visual elements, firmly supported by conductor Emmanuel Villaume and the Dallas Opera Orchestra, resulted in an uproarious ovation at the close of The Dallas Opera's production of Wagner's Das Rheingold Friday night at Winspear Opera House……. The physical sets, designed by Erhard Rom, are minimal platforms……but the projected images, also by Rom, present breathtaking and evocative visions, and serve as an essential element toward maintaining interest throughout the lengthy time-span of Das Rheingold. The audience initially approaches planet Earth from afar; eventually, Valhalla towers as a sleek modern office complex viewed from below. The Rhine shimmers, and Donner's thunderstorm lifts us into a whirling cyclone of clouds from which the rainbow emerges; we approach Alberich's mines through a dizzying descent via industrial elevators and iron bridges.”

Wayne Lee Gay, Onstage NTX

“…this Rheingold has a sci-fi look with much use of high-def video projections……This is one of the most impressive Dallas Opera performances I’ve seen over the last quarter century.”

Scott Cantrell, The Dallas Morning News

“….the staging blends the flamboyant dreamscapes of fantasy and lore with the industrial coldness of familiar, modern-day imagery……posing the universality and timelessness of legend as a vehicle for analyzing critically the dire truths of the present time.”

Richard Sylvester Oliver, Texas Classical Review