Following the announcement that the Brisbane Ring Cycle has been postponed to next year due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Opera Australia has advised dates have now been locked-in for October – November 2021.
Originally scheduled to run in November this year, the season will now open on Friday 29 October 2021 at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) with three full Ring Cycles and seven performances of OA’s digital production of Verdi’s hugely popular Aida.
Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini is thrilled OA has been able to work with all its partners to be able to secure new dates for a similar time next year.
“Being able to confirm the dates so far in advance has given us the opportunity to ensure all the original talent are able to return, including Conductor Phillippe Auguin, Director Chen Shi-Zheng and the world’s best and most in-demand Siegfried, German tenor Stefan Vinke,” he said.
“We really need to thank our government and artistic partners who have moved mountains to make this happen. It’s testament to the level of commitment amongst the group to bring this incredible production to the stage,” said Mr Terracini.
Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the Palaszczuk Government’s support for major events such as the Ring Cycle reinforced Queensland’s reputation as an arts and cultural leader. “Queensland arts organisations collaborating to deliver this larger-than-life production of the Ring Cycle is a tribute to the incredible local talent we have in this state,” she said.
“Opera Australia’s decision to stage these ground-breaking performances in Queensland highlights the esteem in which our state’s arts companies and QPAC are held, and the considerable demand our audiences have for experiencing some of the world’s best productions.”
“Like performances around the world, the arts industry here has been significantly impacted by COVID-19, so the rescheduling of this major production is welcome news for our local artists, arts organisations, audiences, and for Queensland as we deliver our plan for economic recovery,” said Minister Enoch.
Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen is recognised internationally as a masterpiece and the pinnacle in operatic staging that attracts devotees from around the world, who immerse themselves in 15-hours of extraordinary musical and vocal performances over four glorious nights.
This production, by visionary Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng, will be the first large scale performance of the full Ring Cycle to be held in Queensland and also the first fully digital version ever staged. The sets will incorporate huge, LED screens suspended from the ceiling and choreographed to move seamlessly around the stage, creating a striking visual landscape.
Brisbane Ring Cycle 2021 dates:
Lyric Theatre – Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Cycle 1: Das Rheingold (29 October); Die Walküre (31 October); Siegfried (2 November); and Götterdämmerung (4 November)
Cycle 2: Das Rheingold (6 November); Die Walküre (8 November); Siegfried (10 November); and Götterdämmerung (12 November)
Cycle 3: Das Rheingold (14 November); Die Walküre (16 November); Siegfried (18 November); and Götterdämmerung (20 November)
Aida dates:
Lyric Theatre – Queensland Performing Arts Centre
3 – 19 November 2021
Image: The Ring Cycle – photo by Jake Terrey