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 function 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, carried out by Ben Woodward.

After the terrific success of final November’s manufacturing of Das Rheingold (overview right here) and Could’s Die Walküre (overview right here), Regents Opera pushes ahead into the second half of Wagner’s epic Ring cycle with their contemporary tackle Siegfried. A daring endeavor for a chamber opera firm, Regents Opera has got down to carry out each word of Wagner’s masterpiece in its entirety over the span of three years.

This cycle is carried out by the Opera’s Inventive 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, guaranteeing each viewers member has an ideal 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 have been handled to beautiful performances within the function of Wotan by bass-baritone Keel Watson, a long-term collaborator of Regents Opera. Watson was as a result of proceed his function into the remaining elements of Regents Opera’s Ring, however sadly died lately.

On Keel Watson, Ben Woodward, Inventive Director of Regents Opera stated: ‘The entire Regents Opera household have been deeply saddened to be taught 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” pageant 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, wherein 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 can be enjoying King Philip II (!), and did so with great class and pleasure reverse Philippa Boyle as his Elisabetta.

‘In 2019 we mounted Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, with Keel as Hans Sachs – extensively considered the longest function within the Wagner canon. Keel was double forged, however his counterpart withdrew, and Keel ended up singing all 4 performances reverse completely different Walters and Evas.

‘It was, in a big half, for Keel that we determined to do the Ring cycle in 2022. Greater than anything, we wished to listen to his Wotan. Within the latest Could 2023 Die Walküre, his was proven to be a exceptional interpretation of the function, 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 have been collectively simply wanting a yr. Our hearts exit to her, and to all of Keel’s household and associates. We are going to all miss him terribly.’

For this manufacturing of Siegfried, the function 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 function 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 obtained a robust constructive 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 truthful ticket pricing amidst the cost-of-living disaster, being named a ‘important’ piece of fringe opera. The follow-up Die Walküre was known as ‘imaginative and electrifying’ and ‘skilfully directed’ by Caroline Staunton, and Woodward’s orchestration praised for ‘proving that you just don’t want a giant orchestra to make that Wagner sound’. Of their overview of Die Walküre, The Stage additionally opined that ‘this will simply be the perfect worth Wagner going’.

Regents Opera’s Siegfried marks the final run of performances earlier than they bring about 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 by way of 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 stunning reception we’ve needed to each operas. It’s very thrilling to now be moving 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 serious 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 complete. Her need 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 lately co-directed a brand new manufacturing of Wagner’s Tannhäconsumer 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 chargeable 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 usually staged exterior the main homes. Its critically acclaimed immersive productions embody 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.