Natalya Romaniw Jumped Into ‘Die Walküre’ and Owned Her Role

In Wagner’s opera “Die Walküre,” Sieglinde develops in the shadow of controlling men.

“This house and woman belong to Hunding,” she tells a stranger seeking refuge — who turns out to be Siegmund, her brother and lover, and the only man to show her true respect. But later, as Siegmund wonders aloud whether he will kill himself and his partner, rather than facing a future alone in the godly realm of Valhalla, she is fast asleep. Agency over Sieglinde’s life choices passes from one man to another.

How, then, does a performer make her mark while playing a character defined by absence?

The Welsh-Ukrainian soprano Natalya Romaniw provides an answer in Barrie Kosky’s new production of “Die Walküre,” which continues through Saturday at the Royal Opera House in London. (It will be broadcast in cinemas on Wednesday.) She is offering a vividly psychological portrait of a woman whose spiritual core has been shattered, leaving behind a shell of a person, unable to settle in any emotional state.

“It’s important to find the arc,” Romaniw said of Sieglinde’s character development in a recent interview. From a starting point as “the epitome of femininity (very caring, loyal),” the appearance of Siegmund prompts Sieglinde’s “reawakening.” Elation follows, then madness; when Sieglinde awakens from sleep in Act III, describing visions of Hunding’s dogs — a symbol of potential retribution for her infidelity — the weight of guilt and shame drives her into despair. Sieglinde, Romaniw said, concludes by believing “that dishonor is just the end.”

Romaniw has become a regular at Covent Garden. She made her house debut in 2022 by replacing Anna Netrebko in Jonathan Kent’s celebrated production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Earlier this year, she portrayed a devastating Helena in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera “Festen.” And for “Die Walküre,” Romaniw is jumping in for another A-list soprano, Lise Davidsen, who has bowed out of her engagements because she is pregnant.

Sieglinde is Romaniw’s first major Wagner role. Historically, she has been known as a Puccinian, her lyric soprano more associated with roles like Tosca and Cio-Cio-San. By her own admission, “Wagner’s not something I think about often.”