If in ‘Das Rheingold’ the curtain fell with the hegemony of the gods in Valhalla, the second part of ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ opens with a mortal who, alone on Earth, faces a raging storm. Siegmund is called the hunted warrior, and when he briefly finds peace in a concealed hut, he meets the beautiful but equally hapless Sieglinde. An ardent and natural passion blossoms, but at the same time a hidden past surfaces that will seal their fate.

Gregor is an idealist who wants to develop the uses of electricity in a revolutionary way. While he himself is not interested in profit, he is surrounded by shameless industrialists who steal and exploit his inventions. Adored and ultimately mistreated by his fellow man, the philanthropic genius will only find solace in the company of birds. Inspired by the life story of engineer Nikola Tesla as fictionalised by novelist Jean Echenoz, the third opera by composer Philippe Hersant lights up Opéra Comique. Conducting the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Chœur Aedès, Ariane Matiakh draws out the poetry from this scientific adventure alongside director Clément Hervieu-Léger.