Opera Australia postpones world’s first digital Ring Cycle to 2021
Opera Australia, the country’s largest arts employer, is unlikely to return to the stage until 2021 with an announcement tomorrow that the Brisbane Ring Cycle and Aida have been postponed to 2021 and the Melbourne and Sydney concert performances of Lucrezia Borgia, starring Jessica Pratt that were scheduled for October will also not go ahead.
Opera Australia, today announced it will postpone the eagerly awaited premiere of the world’s first fully
digital Ring Cycle to 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Originally scheduled to open in November this year, new dates are being finalised at Queensland
Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in 2021 for both the Ring Cycle and Aida, providing a level of certainty
for ticketholders, performers and all those involved with staging the event.
With the majority of current ticket holders from outside Queensland, the continuing restrictions on both
domestic and international travel, due to the volatility of the COVID crisis, will mean they’ll likely be
unable to attend.
Although this a disappointing development, Opera Australia CEO Rory Jeffes believes the
postponement is the best option in the current circumstances.
As disheartening as this news is, we’re really pleased to have been able to work with our partners to reschedule the season to next year. It ensures that we will be able to present outstanding performances, unrestrained by the uncertainties and restrictions in the current environment.
We trust that ticket holders will appreciate the reasons for this decision and are as delighted as we are that we can provide certainty with the rescheduled season in 2021. We’ll be able to announce those dates in the coming weeks.
However, this announcement effectively means the Company is unlikely to be returning to the stage in 2020, which of course is incredibly disappointing for everyone,” said Jeffes.
OA’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini is thrilled that this ground-breaking production will be staged next year. We’ve combined some of the world’s best talent both on and off the stage for this first digital Ring Cycle so it’s fabulous news that we’ll be able to secure dates for next year. A great deal of work has already been completed in preparation for the Brisbane season, and this will certainly not go to waste, which is a great relief to all involved.
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, 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.
The Ring Cycle Brisbane is supported by the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events
Queensland and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Opera Australia, in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Conservatorium
Griffith University, Opera Queensland, Travel Associates and Queensland Symphony Orchestra,
presents the Ring Cycle Brisbane, Queensland, which features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events
calendar.
