Director Phyllida Lloyd, a theater and opera veteran, told the paper that the image of a suicide bombing was appropriate. "Bunnhilde destroys everything that is poisonous," she said. "We are seeing a world that has gone to hell."

"We did not need to manipulate anything in order for it to seem contemporary," she added. "Almost everything about this opera resonates with the world around us. There is greed, terror, betrayal, and a voracious appetite for power."

Traditionally, Brunnhilde rides her horse into a blazing pyre in the scene.