Is this really the cast for the Melbourne RING ?
May 20, 2012 | Author insider
The proposed complete cast for the Opera Australia production of Wagner’s DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN to be stage in Melbourne later 2013 was recently leaked on ‘The Wagnerian” website.
The supposed cast is listed below, together with the dats of each of the three ‘cycles’.
Das Rheingold
| Wotan | Juha Uusitalo | ||||
| Donner | Warwick Fyfe | ||||
| Froh | Andrew Brunsdon | ||||
| Loge | Richard Berkeley–Steele | ||||
| Fricka | Jacqueline Dark | ||||
| Freia | Hyeseoung Kwon | ||||
| Erda | Deborah Humble | ||||
| Woglinde | Lorina Gore | ||||
| Wellgunde | Jane Ede | ||||
| Flosshilde | Dominica Matthews | ||||
| Alberich | John Wegner | ||||
| Mime | Graeme Macfarlane | ||||
| Fasolt | Daniel Sumegi | ||||
| Fafner | Shane Lowrencev |
Die Walküre
| Wotan | Juha Uusitalo |
| Fricka | Jacqueline Dark |
| Siegmund | Stuart Skelton |
| Sieglinde | Miriam Gordon-Stewart |
| Hunding | Jud Arthur |
| Brünnhilde | Susan Bullock |
| Gerhilde | Anke Höppner |
| Ortlinde | Meryln Quaife |
| Waltraute | Deborah Humble |
| Schwertleite | Dominica Matthews |
| Helmwige | Hyeseoung Kwon |
| Siegrune | Sian Pendry |
| Grimgerde | Elizabeth Campbell |
| Rossweisse | Roxane Hislop |
Siegfried
| Siegfried | Gary Lehmann |
| Brünnhilde | Susan Bullock |
| Erda | Deborah Humble |
| Mime | Graeme Macfarlane |
| Der Wanderer | Juha Uusitalo |
| Alberich | John Wegner |
| Fafner | Shane Lowrencev |
| Forest Bird | Taryn Fiebig |
Götterdämerung
| Siegfried | Gary Lehmann |
| Gunther | Gunther Barry Ryan |
| Alberich | John Wegner |
| Hagen | Daniel Sumegi |
| Brünnhilde | Susan Bullock |
| Gutrune | Sharon Prero |
| Waltraute | Deborah Humble |
| Woglinde | Lorina Gore |
| Wellgunde | Jane Ede |
| Flosshilde | Dominica Matthews |
| First Norn | Elizabeth Campbell |
| Second Norn | Jacqueline Dark |
| Third Norn | Anke Höppner |
Dates:
Three Cycles:
CYCLE ONE
DAS RHEINGOLD Monday, 18th November 2013
DIE WALKURE Wednesday, 20th November 2013
SIEGRIED Friday, 22nd November 2013
GOTTERDAMMERUNG Monday, 25th November 2013
CYCLE TWO
DAS RHEINGOLD Wednesday, 27th November 2013
DIE WALKURE Friday, 29th November 2013
SIEGRIED Monday, 2nd December 2013
GOTTERDAMMERUNG Wednesday, 4th December 2013
CYCLE THREE
DAS RHEINGOLD Friday, 6th December 2013
DIE WALKURE Monday, 9th December 2013
SIEGRIED Wednesday, 11th December 2013
GOTTERDAMMERUNG Friday, 13th December 2013
There is no argument on the quality of the casting of the major roles in the Melbourne RING.
However, the success of any staging of the RING relies on many factors, but paramount amongst them is the vision of the director and designers, the experience and talents of the conductor, and most importantly the depth of quality in casting the smaller roles. The above purported cast (if true) shows a lack of depth in casting the smaller roles. Some regular opera goers and Wagner fans may actually be put off purchasing tickets on the basis of this casting. The May edition of OPERA NOW lists the Melbourne RING as one of the top 5 RING cycles being performed in the Wagner Bicemtenary year of 3013 (the others are the Milan/Berlin, Frankfurt, Seattle and Paris RINGs). This rating may be inappropriate considering the above casting of the smaller roles.
It is inappropriate for tickets to go on sale without the FULL details of the Melbourne RING being released. Potential audience members should be given all the information to allow them to make an informed choice.
Ring Leaders for the Melbourne RING have already been asked to purchase their tickets. In fact their preferential period for ticket purchases is already closed. It is unfortunate that Ring Leaders who have already invested several thousand dollars for the privilege, and also spent up to $2,000 per ticket have been asked to do so without the full cast being revealed, and without the details of the performance dates for each cycle being revealed. Furthermore, a recent mail out to Patrons and Ring Leaders from the Patrons Manager Melbourne, of Opera Australia offers tour packages for the Melbourne RING which cannot be booked as Ring Leaders have not been informed of the cycle to which they have been allocated seats. Ring Leaders will not be informed of their cycle allocation until the end of 2012.
Would you kindly note the correct German title of The Ring of the Nibelung is Der Ring des Nibelungen (des not das). You should correct it in several places on this site. Thanks. And yes I agree, some of the so-called minor roles, if there is such a thing in the Ring, are a little concerning. If Lehman pulls out (he was ill in New York for this year’s cycles) OA should negotiate NOW for JAY HUNTER MORRIS as Siegfried’s stand-in just in case. He was a sensation in both San Francisco last year and at the Met, being a stand-in in both houses. The single best ever Siegfried (considering his singing/acting combination) in the words of many old timers.
Dear Old Timer,
Thank you for your comments. I am an extremely bad editor of material on this site and will rectify the mis-spellings. I totally agree with your comments on Jay Hunter Morris. I was in New York for the second ‘cycle’ of the Metropolitan Opera RING, and I totally agree he was magnificent as Siegfried. Although he could not quite deliver the heroic and ringing top notes (few can), his appearance, musicianship and acting were brilliant. I feel lucky to have experienced his talents as Pinkerton, Eric and Ahab in Australia as well. I believe the cover for Siegried is Richard Berkley-Steele Currently cast at Loge).
Best wishes,
The Opera Insider