(Photo: Herwig Prammer / OnP) A very promising night indeed: Paris Opera takes its first step toward its new Ring under the direction of Calixto Bieito—one of the most exciting artists in his field—and with a promising cast. The stakes are particularly high for the company president, Alexander Neef, who would crowd his tenure with a Wagner Ring in continental {…}
(Photo by Bernd Uhlig) I’m back in Berlin, a city I favor and enjoy so much, ready for yet another Ring cycle at Deutsche Oper, a large, comfortable 1850-seat theatre boldly designed in the Modernist style and simply ideal for large-scale productions. And none comes much larger than those penned by Giacomo Meyerbeer, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner Therefore, with {…}
Calgary Opera is set to present Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The production will be presented on April 20, 24, and 26, 2024, and will showcase a production by Brian Staufenbiel. Jonathan Brandani conducts the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra with a cast that is led by James Rutherford in the role of Wotan. The cast will also {…}
The current “Der Ring des Nibelungen” at Staatsoper Berlin came into being in October 2022 directed by Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov and due to be conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Sadly, though, Maestro Barenboim, had to pull out of the production because of severe health issues, a great blow to all, but so disappointing for Barenboim in his 80th year. {…}
(Photo credit: Daniel Boud) Concert performances of “Das Rheingold” by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in the Opera House Concert Hall November 16-18 were the most recent events in what is shaping up to be a bit of a Wagner year in Australia. Next month sees Opera Australia’s much-awaited new “Ring cycle” in Brisbane, delayed twice previously by COVID. Back {…}
(© 2023 ROH Photo by Monika Rittershaus) The Royal Opera House is set to present Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” in cinemas in a new production by Barrie Kosky. The opera will be broadcast live from Covent Garden to approximately 800 cinemas in 18 countries on Sept. 20. Antonio Pappano conducts an all-star cast that includes Christopher Maltman, Christopher Purves, Sean Panikkar, {…}
(Photo: © Enrico Nawrath) As the final cycle of Bayreuth’s 2023 “Ring des Nibelungen” came to a close, the air remained electric with the sounds of Wagner’s apocalyptic horns and the swirling raptures of the Rhine. Camps came away divided into those either outraged or captivated by director Valentin Schwarz‘s reinvention of the Walsung’s messy journey into oblivion. To be {…}
(Photo credit: Seattle Opera © Philip Newton) Why build an elaborate faux-underwater set for the Rhine scenes in Wagner’s “Ring” when you have an orchestra pit that can make a perfectly plausible stage river? It’s an idea so obvious, you think surely, it must have been tried already. This is the solution found by Brian Staufenbiel, tasked with staging “Das {…}
Singapore’s Orchestra of the Music Makers is set to present Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” on July 8, 2023 at the Esplanade Concert Hall. The semi-staged production will be directed by Tang Xinxin with Joshua Kangming Tan conducting the performance. The famed Wagner opera will star Teng Xiang Ting as Woglinde, Victoria Songwei Li as Wellgun, Anna Harvey as Floßhilde and Erda, {…}
The Atlanta Opera has announced changes to its streaming platform. The company has restructured its newly renamed streaming platform Atlanta Opera Film Studio to allow greater access to audiences. Per an official press statement, free accounts will allow access to live stream replays, while the monthly subscription has been reduced to $5 to allow access to the organization’s top content. {…}
Photo Credit: Marc Brenner English National Opera has had a stay of execution from the swinging cuts imposed on them by Arts Council England before Christmas. At least another year of funding is guaranteed, though it has not come without casualties; the “Siegfried” planned as the next installment of their burgeoning “Ring” has reportedly been pulled. A pity, as Richard {…}