Singers Samuel Youn, Yang Joon-mo draw listeners to Wagnerian world

Baritone Yang Joon-mo, 52, and world-famed Wagnerian bass-baritone Samuel Youn, 55, are set to captivate audiences with their performance of Richard Wagner’s iconic opera “Das Rheingold” at the Korea National Opera. The production, marking the beginning of the composer’s monumental “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” or “The Ring,” will commence on Thursday.

Yang Joon-mo, who will portray the cunning dwarf Alberich, describes the demanding nature of the role, highlighting the need to master a vast vocal range and deliver forceful German articulation. The 55-year-old Youn, a celebrated Kammersänger, will share the stage with Yang, bringing his renowned Wagnerian voice to the part.

The story of Alberich unfolds in the first opera of Wagner’s epic cycle, where the dwarf initially seeks love but ultimately chooses to steal the Rhinemaidens' treasure and forge it into the coveted ring. Upon Wotan, the king of the gods, seizing the ring from him, Alberich curses its future bearer with ruin. As the curse weaves through the subsequent operas — “Die Walküre,” “Siegfried,” and “Götterdämmerung” — Alberich remains a central and pivotal figure, setting the stage for the tragic events that follow.