Regents Opera forge ahead with the third instalment of their formidable Ring cycle –
Siegfried
Peter Furlong stars as Siegfried alongside Catharine Woodward as Brünnhilde and Holden Madagame as Mime.
Ralf Lukas takes up the position of the Wanderer following the premature passing of Keel Watson.
The story of the Ring continues in The Grand Temple, Freemasons’ Corridor, Covent Backyard, February 2024 – Sunday 4th, Wednesday seventh, Saturday tenth.
This revolutionary manufacturing is carried out within the spherical and specifically organized for a 23-piece orchestra, performed by Ben Woodward.
After the terrific success of final November’s manufacturing of Das Rheingold (assessment right here) and Might’s Die Walküre (assessment right here), Regents Opera pushes ahead into the second half of Wagner’s epic Ring cycle with their recent tackle Siegfried. A daring enterprise for a chamber opera firm, Regents Opera has got down to carry out each observe of Wagner’s masterpiece in its entirety over the span of three years.
This cycle is performed by the Opera’s Creative Director, Ben Woodward, who has additionally helmed the hefty technique of rearranging the mammoth rating initially supposed for 90 devices, down to only 23.
The setting of this manufacturing within the spherical, and within the beautiful surrounds of The Grand Temple’s Freemasons’ Corridor, permits audiences a visceral closeness to the singers themselves, making certain each viewers member has a terrific seat to witness the epic drama and humanity of Wagner’s Ring cycle.
Within the first two elements of this Ring cycle, audiences and critics had been handled to beautiful performances within the position of Wotan by bass-baritone Keel Watson, a long-term collaborator of Regents Opera. Watson was as a result of proceed his position into the remaining elements of Regents Opera’s Ring, however sadly died not too long ago.
On Keel Watson, Ben Woodward, Creative Director of Regents Opera stated: ‘The entire Regents Opera household had been deeply saddened to study of the latest passing of Keel Watson. Keel has been part of our musical household since 2014, when, at little or no discover, he got here and rescued our manufacturing of Falstaff, bringing with him an hilarious air of pomposity and humour to the fats knight. Thanks very a lot to him, that manufacturing was then revived twice, at each the Arcola Theatre’s “Grimeborn” competition and likewise at Wilton’s Music Corridor.
‘Following Falstaff, we requested Keel and director Daisy Evans what manufacturing they may get pleasure from subsequent, and between them, they selected Der fliegende Holländer, through which Keel would play the title. This was to be the primary of 4 Wagner roles Keel carried out with Fulham – later Regents Opera.
‘In 2018, on listening to that we’d be producing Don Carlo, Keel knowledgeable us that he could be taking part in King Philip II (!), and did so with super class and pleasure reverse Philippa Boyle as his Elisabetta.
‘In 2019 we mounted Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, with Keel as Hans Sachs – extensively thought to be the longest position within the Wagner canon. Keel was double forged, however his counterpart withdrew, and Keel ended up singing all 4 performances reverse totally different Walters and Evas.
‘It was, in a big half, for Keel that we determined to do the Ring cycle in 2022. Greater than the rest, we needed to listen to his Wotan. Within the latest Might 2023 Die Walküre, his was proven to be a exceptional interpretation of the position, as so many viewers members, together with seasoned Wagnerians left the Freemasons’ Corridor in tears. He was to finish the set with The Wanderer in Siegfried in February 2024 and full Ring cycles later within the yr. We’re all gutted that that’s now to not be.
‘Keel met Ingeborg Børch while singing our Das Rheingold, and so they had been collectively simply in need of a yr. Our hearts exit to her, and to all of Keel’s household and buddies. We are going to all miss him terribly.’
For this manufacturing of Siegfried, the position of The Wanderer will now be carried out by Ralf Lukas, who has been concerned in 5 earlier productions of the opera and sung in hallowed halls worldwide, most notably the non secular residence of the Ring, Bayreuth. Internationally famend soprano Catherine Woodward continues in position as Brünnhilde, the eventual love curiosity of Peter Furlong’s Siegfried. A number of characters from Das Rheingold additionally return: Holden Madagame and Oliver Gibbs as Nibelung brothers Mime and Alberich, Craig Lemont Walters because the dragon Fafner, and Mae Heydorn’s Earth god Erda. The forged is accomplished with Corrine Hart’s Woodbird.
The primary instalment, Das Rheingold acquired a powerful optimistic response, cited as a ground-breaking new interpretation and an ‘revolutionary’ spectacle that yielded ‘moments of magic’ all through. The manufacturing was additionally praised for its accessibility and honest ticket pricing amidst the cost-of-living disaster, being named a ‘important’ piece of fringe opera. The follow-up Die Walküre was referred to as ‘imaginative and electrifying’ and ‘skilfully directed’ by Caroline Staunton, and Woodward’s orchestration praised for ‘proving that you simply don’t want an enormous orchestra to make that Wagner sound’. Of their assessment of Die Walküre, The Stage additionally opined that ‘this will simply be one of the best worth Wagner going’.
Regents Opera’s Siegfried marks the final run of performances earlier than they create the cycle to its epic conclusion with all 4 operas and their first performances of Götterdämmerung.
Tickets for this penultimate instalment of Regents Opera’s Ring cycle can be found now through Ticket Supply (click on right here), and the opening efficiency of Siegfried is on Sunday 4th February 2024.
On the continuance of Regents Opera’s Ring cycle, Ben Woodward stated: ‘We’re completely thrilled with how the primary two instalments of our Ring cycle have gone, and the beautiful reception we’ve needed to each operas. It’s very thrilling to now be entering into the true meat of the story with our performances of Siegfried in February.
‘We’re very proud to be bringing these monumental works to The Freemasons’ Corridor in Covent Backyard, the place new audiences can expertise them in additional intimate ways in which wouldn’t be doable in a significant opera corridor.’
Director Caroline Staunton joins Regents Opera for this cycle. Ben commented: ‘Her information of opera is encyclopaedic, and her love of opera is whole. Her want for readability of textual content, intention and expression is unsurpassed, and he or she adores this music. It’s terrifically thrilling to be working along with her.’
Caroline not too long ago co-directed a brand new manufacturing of Wagner’s Tannhäperson with Kornél Mundruczó at Staatsoper Hamburg. Primarily based in Berlin, she is a employees director at Staatsoper Berlin, recurrently working with main administrators together with Claus Guth, Dmitri Tcherniakov, David McVicar and Calixto Bieto, and is answerable for revival productions of the repertoire works.
Regents Opera (est.2011) specialises within the bigger works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, providing rising and established singers a platform to carry out main repertoire not typically staged exterior the main homes. Its critically acclaimed immersive productions embrace Wagner’s full Der Ring des Nibelungen and Der fliegende Holländer, Verdi’s Falstaff, Simon Boccanegra and Don Carlo, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus.
For extra about Regents Opera click on right here.
