Press Release s30

Press Release

September 2016

‘THE RING FOR EVERYONE’: NEW DIGITAL PLANS BRING OPERA NORTH’S RING CYCLE TO WIDER AUDIENCE

Digital commissioning body The Space is collaborating with Opera North to produce an online filmed version of the company's Ring cycle. Filming took place in Leeds in May 2016 as Opera North performed Richard Wagner's 16- hour masterpiece over four dates at Leeds Town Hall.

Directed by Peter Mumford and conducted by Opera North's outgoing Music Director Richard Farnes, Opera North's Ring is one of the most critically regarded opera projects of recent years, highly praised for both the highest standards in musical performance and for its clarity and accessibility to new audiences. The Company performed six complete cycles of the Ring in five venues in the summer of 2016, with the majority of dates sold out.

Few works loom as large in Western culture as Richard Wagner’s monumental Ring (Der Ring des Nibelungen, or The Ring of the Nibelung) a cycle of four operas comprising more than 15 hours of music, usually performed across four days. The story, which Wagner devised based on ancient Nordic and German legends, is an epic tale of heroes, gods, giants and dragons battling for control of a magic ring which grants power and wealth to its owner. It begins with music that evokes the dawn of time, and ends with the cataclysmic destruction of the world of the gods, and contains some of the most famous and influential music ever written.

Presented as a dramatic performance for the concert hall, Opera North's version of the Ring dispenses with set, costumes and props, foregrounding Wagner's intensely powerful music. Lighting and video design enhance the performances, with a triptych of screens in the live performances providing abstract visuals and English text. This compelling and visceral format places the orchestra on stage, with the singers addressing the audience, and the camera, directly, bringing the epic story thrillingly to life.

Opera North General Director, Richard Mantle, comments:

"The Ring is a monumental work of art - complex, multi-layered, controversial and deeply thought-provoking, it is undoubtedly among the greatest pieces of music drama that have ever been written. It is a masterpiece which everyone should have the opportunity to engage with, but live performances are comparatively rare.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity, working with The Space and BBC Arts Online, to make a version of the Ring which is truly for everyone - for the curious, for those who can't attend a live performance, for those who are already passionate opera fans and, most importantly, for newcomers, to experience digitally.”

The film of the Ring will be made available to stream online in 2017, working in partnership with The Space and BBC Arts Online. Sung in German with English titles and text accompanying the live performances, the film of the Ring will be fully subtitled in English.

/ENDS

The Ring Cycle is financially supported by the Opera North Future Fund, The Ring Fellowship 2016, Ring Circle and The Emerald Foundation.

www.theringcycle.co.uk

Note to Editors:

The Space

The Space is a commissioning and development organisation, founded by the BBC and Arts Council England, which supports artists and arts organisations to create new artistic experiences and reach new audiences using digital technologies and platforms.

For further information, please contact:

Julia O’Sullivan, Head of Communications

0113 223 3526 | 07956 647573 | julia.o’

Elizabeth Simmonds, Press Officer

0113 213 5641|

Rowland Thomas, Press Officer

0113 223 3528|