Wagner’s Ring Cycle is one of those unique theatre experiences for any fan of opera. A 15-hour epic told across multiple sessions ranging from 5+ hours to a couple of hours each, it was supposed to take over the QPAC Lyric Theatre for virtually the whole month of November 2020. Alas, COVID-19 forced it to be postponed until this year, and scheduled to commence on 29 October 2021… Opera Australia has pulled the plug once more.
The decision was made due to the hard border closure being in place, resulting in a lot of uncertainty. In a statement from Opera Australia, “to protect the State from the current crisis that has taken hold in NSW and VIC, the performers and crew, as well as 80% of total ticket holders, will be unable to travel to Queensland for the production”.
Fortunately, for those eager to attend, rather than cancel the season all together, they are once again postponing it for a date to be confirmed. They are currently working “closely with the wonderfully talented team at Queensland Symphony Orchestra on both the Ring Cycle, and the co-production of Aida with Opera Queensland, ensuring that the seven years of planning that has already gone into this project, will not go to waste”.
For those who currently hold tickets for Ring Cycle or Aida, they are asked to be patient and be ensured they will be contacted in due course. How the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Lyric Theatre will be utilised during this empty period is unconfirmed.
About Ring Cycle
Known simply as the Ring, 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, was to 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.