Experience Wagner’s Valkyrie in a Danish Viking hall

By Signe Hansen

Staged inside Lejre’s spectacular Viking Hall, in June Wagner’s opera Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) will be brought into a setting that echoes the Norse myths that inspired its creation. The project – led by conductor James Sherlock and the brainchild of stage director Ida Kiberg and Sagnlandet’s Charlotte Franzdatter – turns the hall into more than just a venue: it becomes part of the drama itself, merging music, architecture and history in one immersive experience.

Walking through the reconstructed medieval landscape of Lejre, entering the historic replica of a Viking king’s Great Hall and sitting down to enjoy an operatic masterpiece, the audience of The Valkyrie at Lejre is set for a multi-dimensional musical journey. Indeed, while many opera lovers will have experienced this work on more traditional stages, much of this production’s power lies in its unique setting.

The Viking hall at Lejre. Photo: Sagnlandet Lejre

Kongehallen, built on an original Viking site, is not just a theatrical backdrop but a fully realised historical reconstruction. Its carved beams, central fire pit and intimate seating place the audience and performers in unusually close proximity. For Sherlock, the hall was the inspiration for the whole concept: “My jaw dropped when I first saw it,” he recalls. “And even now, after many site visits, I still get goosebumps thinking about making theatre here.”

Conductor James Sherlock. Photo: Janis Porietis

Wagner’s vision of total art

In this ‘in-the-round’ setting, Wagner’s monumental creation can be experienced on a human scale, up close to the action, with the orchestra resonating throughout the vast wooden chasm of the hall, the structure itself becoming an active part of the music drama. This adds an extra layer to Wagner’s own concept of Gesamtkunstwerk: the total artwork, where music, text, drama and visual form become one. Here, the landscape lives and breathes the very Norse history that so fascinated the composer, lending the composer’s enveloping vision a further dimension.

“Wagner’s immersive worlds describe the vastness of our human inner experience,” Sherlock explains. “The greatest art provides us with ways to explore the fullness of that experience. And with Die Walküre, an opera that focuses on close, highly-charged relationships, this particular space will bring a visceral immediacy and intimacy to these powerful, personal encounters.”

From left: Development director Charlotte Frantzdatter, Sagnlandet Lejre textiles expert Lone Brøns-Pedersen (costumes and props), singers John Olsen (Siegmund) and Signe Asmussen (Sieglinde), and director Ida Kiberg (right) in the Kings Halls at Sagnlandet Lejre. Photo: Sagnlandet Lejre / Peter Rahbek

The Nordic opera scene

For the conductor, the production also reflects a broader artistic outlook shaped by his years working across the Nordic region. Raised in Britain, but trained on Finnish podiums and now based in Copenhagen, he highlights the North’s willingness to support new formats and take artistic risks.

“In Denmark,” he notes, “we cannot work in the same way that countryside opera festivals do in the UK or US, with private and corporate sponsorship and a large wealthy suburban audience base. Instead, we are blessed with foundations that really invest in high-quality work, who are prepared to support unique concepts, and an audience that is open-minded. We are grateful for all of this, since it allows for creative freedom – in this case to attempt something that has not been attempted before.”

A staging grounded in history

This staging is shaped by a strong commitment to Norse historical authenticity and Viking-age sources. Costumes and props are developed in collaboration with the historians at Sagnlandet Lejre, including textiles expert Lone Brøns-Pedersen, whose knowledge ensures that materials, colours and construction reflect historical realities. This means that iconic horned helmets, so often associated with Nordic myths but in actual fact a theatrical embellishment, are set aside in favour of the genuine article.

As with finding balance between historical precision and artistic interpretation, so the musical side of the production combines established Danish opera stars in the larger roles, and outstanding young talents playing the Valkyries themselves. Emerging artist Laura Helene Hansen entered the national consciousness as one of the stars of DR’s recent television series The Next Diva, and here she appears alongside established names including Jens Søndergaard, a regular on the Danish Royal stages. He plays the role of Wotan (the Germanic form of the Old Norse name Óðinn), king of the gods, whose gradual loss of power drives much of The Ring’s tension.

The backbone of the orchestra is provided by the Danish Chamber Players (known locally as Ensemble Storstrøm), whose outstanding chamber-music skills support the production’s emphasis on clarity, intimacy and responsiveness.

An experience shaped by place

In this unique space, the audience experience begins as you drive through the magical landscape, walk up to the Kings Hall standing atop the hill, and settle into a world where legend and history feel as one. “When you think about great theatre,” Sherlock reflects, “it’s not just what happens on stage – it’s the whole journey that draws you in.” And with a longer-term age to stage the whole Ring cycle, the creative team and the curators at Sagnlandet have been delighted to discover an ever-increasing network of intersecting Wagner and Norse history aficionados.

Jens Søndergaard, singing Wotan, King of the Gods. Photo: Det Kongelige Teater

Dates and tickets

In the World of the Vikings – Wagner’s Die Walkure (The Valkyrie) in Kongehallen, Sagnlandet Lejre – 7, 10, 12 and 14 June 2026
Tickets are available via Billetto.dk under Valkyrien. Further information at sagnlandet.dk

The conductor

James Sherlock is a British-born conductor based in Copenhagen, known for his work across the symphonic and opera repertoire. He is particularly active in the Nordic and Baltic regions, including conducting at the Danish, Norwegian and Finnish National Operas during 2026.

@sherlockconducts
www.jamessherlock.me