Melbourne to be the Scene of Opera Australia’s Ring Cycle? At Last?
The Financial Review of 22 July 2010 broke a story, that seems to be more than the rumours that many of us have read and heard over the last few years, about Opera Australia commissioning Neil Armfield to direct it second attempt at a Ring Cycle. We remember Opera Australias Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini raising our hopes prior to his arrival in the post with his commitment to staging a Ring. Opera Australia’s website has him dreaming: “Terracini has exciting aspirations for Opera Australia. Somewhere on the list is a Ring Cycle. ‘Given Opera Australia’s status as an international opera company, it’s important for it to have one – every major company does,’ he says, adding that the creation of a Ring is a phenomenal achievement for any company. ‘That’s not to say that in my first season there will be an entire cycle, but we need to put the building blocks in place.’