Ryan Speedo Green triumphs in first outing as Wagner’s god in 'Die Walküre'

SANTA FE, N.M. -- The Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountains had vanished into the night sky by the time Ryan Speedo Green sang his first words as Wotan in Wagner’s “Die Walküre.”

Still, their invisible presence around the Santa Fe Opera House was a fitting backdrop, since Wagner set the scene on a high mountain ridge.

And indeed the part of Wotan, one of the most demanding roles in opera for a dramatic bass-baritone, seems to inspire mountain imagery. To conductor James Gaffigan, its length and difficulty make it “the Mount Everest for this particular voice type.” To Green, “It feels almost as if this is the pinnacle, the height of roles that you could portray.”

Now, at age 39, Green stands proudly at that pinnacle, if sometimes still shaking his head in disbelief at how far he’s come.

Having survived a troubled childhood that included time in juvenile detention, he found a voice teacher who believed in his gift, honed his skills through years of study and an apprenticeship at the Vienna State Opera, then sang a series of increasingly prominent roles at the Metropolitan Opera to emerge as a full-fledged star.

“I never thought it would happen, that my career would blow up the way it has,” Green said in an interview between performances, which continue through Aug. 21.

The Santa Fe performances are his first time singing “Die Walküre,” the second of the four operas in Wagner’s tetralogy and the one with the biggest and most daunting role for the head of the gods.

It calls for a wide dramatic range — from exuberance, to despair, from fury to compassion. And the vocal challenges include a 24-minute monologue in which Wotan recapitulates the previous events in his life, and a scene at the end of a long evening for which he has to keep his voice fresh as he bids a tender farewell to his disobedient daughter Brünnhilde, sung here by soprano Tamara Wilson.

“My Wotan is still in its infancy and I can see it grow with every performance as I get it more into my blood and into my feet,” Green said. “I’m lucky that I’m getting my first whack at it at 39.”

Even in this first outing, his performance drew bravos from the audience and critics.

“Green … portrayed the troubled god as if he had been doing it for years,” wrote Harvey Steiman on Seen and Heard International. “Sensitive to every singer around him, he delivered one great moment after another in his rich baritone, as silky as it is powerful.”

Green actually made his debut as Wotan last year in a semi-staged production of “Das Rheingold,” the opening “Ring” installment at the Los Angeles Philharmonic under conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

“From the moment he walked onstage, everyone sensed his God-like presence,” Dudamel said in an email to the AP. “When he sings, the colors and richness of his voice wash over you, and the sound completely surrounds you.”

As a Black man, whose 6-foot-4 height and muscular frame make him stand out in any setting, Green said the role of Wotan provides a welcome outlet for feelings that are often pent up.

“From the moment I became a man, my mom told me: ‘When you walk in the street, don’t walk too tall. Make yourself small, so you don’t stand out, so you can survive,’” he said.

“When I sang my first Wotan, it was the first time I played a character who doesn’t have to worry about what anybody else thinks of him.”

Green will perform the “Walküre” Wotan again next spring with Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic and will play Wotan in a new “Ring” cycle at the Metropolitan Opera set to launch in the 2027-28 season, Met General Manager Peter Gelb told the AP.

Among his colleagues, Green is known for his relentless work ethic and perfectionism.

“He’s extremely hard on himself,” said Gaffigan, who is conducting the Santa Fe performances and recalled the first time he heard from Green after he was cast.

“He called me to start discussing the role before he even got to Santa Fe,” Gaffigan said, “And from the first words on the telephone, he said, ‘I want an hour for Act 2 and an hour for Act 3, can you give me that?’ … I knew this guy was really serious and he wouldn’t give up on getting this time.

“The dedication to the text and the music and the rhythms is at the highest level of preparation I’ve heard in a long time,” Gaffigan added. “He knows how serious this is. It’s a major ascent in his career.”

Green laughs when reminded of that phone call and mentions how he had prepared for his first Wagner role more than a decade ago.

“It was the Second Knight in ‘Parsifal’ ... and I was rehearsing for three months for a role that literally has 61 seconds of music,” Green said..

“I was like, this is at the Met, I need to be perfect,” he said. “That kind of mentality has been my saving grace, because I put everything I’ve got into it, vocally, physically, mentally.”