Opera North’s critically acclaimed production of Wagner’s Ring cycle comes to Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall this week. To celebrate the first time this epic work will be shown at Royal Festival Hall, a supporting programme of events introduces new audiences to the opera - from workshops and performances to jewellery-making (your own ring of course).
The Festival Hall tickets are all-but sold out (although it’s always worth queuing for returns), but all four operas will also be live-streamed, free, into the Clore Ballroom, which has been transformed for the occasion into an English country park with AstroTurf, fake trees and picnic blankets. This film will be shown before each opera.
The animated short introduces the context and characters and – very briefly – summarises the narrative and key leitmotifs. The script was written by Rob Young, animated by Ignatz Johnson and Ana Stefaniak and is voiced by Adanna Oji.
Das Rheingold is on 28 June at 7pm, Die Walküre is on 29 June at 5pm, Siegfried on 1 July at 5pm and Götterdämmerung on 3 July at 3pm all at the Royal Festival Hall, London, and streamed in the Clore Ballroom.
Opera North’s Ring cycle is then at Sage Gateshead from 5-10 July.
See also
• Matthew d’Ancona on the politics of Wagner’s Ring
• Richard Farnes: my austerity Wagner with Opera North
• Opera North tackles Wagner’s Ring Cycle – minus the financial dramas
