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 Der Ring Des Nibelungen : Opera North announces plans for a new Ring Cycle 2011-2014 (BK)

Opera North, England’s award-winning National Opera Company in the North, announces an ambitious extension to its highly acclaimed series of “Opera in Concert”, with performances of Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung to be given over a 4 year period commencing in 2011. Devised by Opera North in partnership with The Sage Gateshead and Symphony Hall Birmingham, where performances will be given in addition to those at the Leeds Town Hall and The Lowry Salford Quays, the Cycle begins in June 2011 with Das Rheingold.  Performances of Die Walküre and Siegfried are scheduled to follow in successive years, culminating with Götterdämmerung in 2014.

Since 2005, “Opera in Concert” has become a strong feature of the Company’s work. So far we have had Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, Nabucco, Salome and most recently Elektra, mostly under the baton of Opera North Music Director, Richard Farnes, who will also conduct The Ring. By taking work into the concert hall the Company has been able to extend its repertoire to include works which are, more often than not, challenging to stage in many of the regular Opera North theatres. Most notably, the recent performances of Elektra, starring Susan Bullock, sealed Richard Farnes’ reputation as one of the country’s most versatile and talented opera conductors.

Opera North is also delighted to announce that Richard Farnes has committed to remain the Company’s Music Director until 2014.

A search for new Wagner singers!

A key part of this project will be to establish new talent for this demanding repertoire from both the UK and abroad. Opera North will be joined by Sir John Tomlinson as an Artistic Consultant on The Ring project. The intention is to create a unique blend of experienced artists alongside those learning and performing roles for the first time. As part of the preparation period for each opera, the Company will offer extended coaching to singers and public masterclasses, to be held in the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, Opera North’s new recital hall, as well as in Birmingham, Gateshead and London. Casting will be announced at the time of the Opera North 2010/2011 Season announcement in April 2010.

Richard Farnes, Music Director, Opera North says: “This will be the first time in Opera North’s history that we will be able to bring The Ring to our audiences across the North and the Midlands and reaffirms our commitment to the development of talent and to providing opportunity for emerging artists. These are some of the most challenging operatic roles in any repertoire.”

“In the Orchestra of Opera North we have one of the most versatile and talented orchestral ensembles in the country and no other UK orchestra is as equally at home in the pit and on the concert platform. I believe this is a fantastic opportunity for them to play repertoire which has so far eluded our programming.” 

And Richard Mantle, General Director, Opera North adds: “Ever since we began to develop the genre of ‘opera in concert’, I have long hoped that we would finally bring such ambition to our work. With the Wagner bicentenary in 2013, timing could not be more appropriate. For me, Richard Farnes is the consummate opera conductor and obtains a real sense of ‘theatre’ in his music making. I am sure The Ring will be long remembered as one of the many pinnacles of his achievements with Opera North.

This is also a major logistical and financial undertaking and is only possible thanks to the support of our partners, The Sage Gateshead (Anthony Sargeant and Simon Clugston), and Symphony Hall Birmingham (Andrew Jowett and Paul Keene). I am also delighted that the Ring will form part of the programme at The Lowry and for the support of Julia Fawcett and Robert Robson in this project. I would also like to pay tribute to Dougie Scarfe, Opera North’s Orchestra and Concerts Director, for engineering this partnership and for his personal enthusiasm for the project. We are already working with a consortium of private supporters led by Dr Keith Howard, Chairman of the Opera North Future Fund, and because of their enthusiasm and dedication we are confident this project is viable and achievable.”

Simon Clugston, Performance Programme Director, The Sage Gateshead also comments  that: “The Sage Gateshead has a growing reputation for delivering ground-breaking projects as well as the special experience of opera in concert halls. This is a huge project. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring Wagner’s Ring Cycle to The Sage Gateshead is for me a dream come true. This massive work is an absolute pinnacle of the classical repertoire. The warm artistic relationship we have with Opera North culminating earlier this year with a performance of Strauss’ Elektra, will stand us in good stead for this amazing project; we are simply beside ourselves with excitement for the Rheingold experience in 2011 at the start of this huge Wagner journey - The Ring.”

Similarly, Andrew Jowett, Director, Symphony Hall Birmingham says: “Opera North has a hugely deserved reputation for truly great performances and is undoubtedly one of the leading ensembles in the country at the moment. Our eagerness to be part of this thrilling project is testament to the quality of its operatic and symphonic work on the concert platform and we are delighted to offer such a rare opportunity for audiences in Birmingham and the wider region to hear great opera in Symphony Hall’s world-beating acoustic.” 

Projecter Performance dates for Das Rheingold are:

Leeds Town Hall: Saturday 18 June 2011
Symphony Hall Birmingham: Friday 24 June 2011
The Sage Gateshead: Sunday 26 June 2011
Leeds Town Hall: Wednesday 29 June 2011
Leeds Town Hall: Friday 1 July 2011
The Lowry Salford Quays: Saturday 10 September 2011

After Das Rheingold, The Ring trilogy continues with  Die Walküre  in 2012, Siegfried in 2013 and finally Götterdämmerung in 2014. It is planned that all four operas in concert will be performed in the Leeds Town Hall, The Sage Gateshead, The Symphony Hall Birmingham and The Lowry Salford Quays.

Bill Kenny