Come and see the land of Valhalla and fairy tales, which inspired Wagner to write some of his most famous operas. Join a Dane -The owner of European Opera Tours in her hometown Copenhagen and experience the new Royal Danish Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s masterwork Der Ring des Nibelungen at one of the world’s newest and immediately unique venues, the Copenhagen Opera.

Directed by Kasper Bech Holten, with set and costumes by Marie í Dali and Steffen Aarfing, Michael Schønwandt conducts the Royal Danish Orchestra. The cast includes James Johnson (Wotan), Stig Fogh Andersen (Siegfried), Tina Kiberg (Brünnhilde), Poul Elming (Siegmund), Sten Byriel (Alberich), Bengt-Ola Morgny (Mime), Stephen Milling (Fafner/Hagen), amongst others.

The new Operaen (Copenhagen Opera), located on the island of Holmen in Copenhagen's harbour front, is a 440 million dollar gift to the nation from Mærsk McKinney Møller, veteran chairman of Denmark's biggest industrial group, the oil and shipping concern Møller-Mærsk.

An impressive 14 story structure (five underground), dominated by expansive glass frontages and faced in beige-coloured Jura stone, it is located on the former naval base on Holmen Island , looking directly over the water to Amalienborg Palace , the royal residence, and domed Marble Church . The focal point of the new opera house is the large, floating roof with its 32-metre long cantilever covering the four-storey curved foyer, with an arrival plaza overlooking the harbour. The design has already won numerous awards. The 1,400 seat main auditorium has six rotating stages and a smaller studio stage. The top floor restaurants and terraces hold stunning views over the Copenhagen waterfront.

Copenhagen is an exciting, refreshing and stimulating destination, and the opportunity to attend Der Ring des Nibelungen in the new home of the Royal Danish Opera makes this an enticing opportunity.

Danish architect Henning Larsen designed the opera house, with interior decoration by Per Arnoldi, Per Kirkeby and Olafur Eliasson. Inside the main theatre, none of the maple panels are the same dimensions, but were individually carved in a way that promotes the enhancement of the acoustics.

The public areas contain modern works by many artists, including breath-taking light sculptures in the main foyer. These are composed of a lot of small glass pieces, forming spheres, and are lit from inside by hundreds of small lights. The total wood/light effect changes throughout the day.

The new house is already considered an architectural and acoustical masterwork. To see and hear it through Wagner’s masterwork will be sublime.

Apart from The Ring, Copenhagen has so much to offer: Two years ago the following article appeared in The New York Times

“The Danes sell Copenhagen as the crossroads of cute. Come see the cute Little Mermaid, gazing wistfully out to sea! Come see the cute little boys in their jaunty uniforms and bearskin hats, playing soldier at Tivoli ! Come see the armadas of bicycles, with their own cute little traffic lights! Come on ..

Copenhagen is in fact one of the sophisticated capitals in Europe . It boats four of the Continent’s best museums, big-league jazz and dance, a wealth of elegant modern design and architecture, superlative shopping, an ever-increasing number of cutting-edge restaurants and a tolerant, worldly, good-looking, pleasure-loving population. Evelyn Waugh once called the Danes “the most exhilarating people in Europe ,” and he wasn’t very far off…”

The public transportation system is superb, and a car is not needed. Visit The Little Mermaid – Tivoli Gardens – Amalienborg Palace (Residence of the Royal Family – the oldest Monarchy in Europe) – Christianborg Palace (Home of the Danish parliament) – Rosenborg Castle (home of the Danish Crown Jewels) – The Round Tower (built 400 years ago as an observatory) - not to forget the two miles long shopping street combining to two major squares of the city. Come and enjoy Wonderful Copenhagen, the fairy tale country of H.C. Andersen.