Regents Opera presents full Ring Cycle

Opera company Regents Opera has defied the odds to present an in-the-round production of Wagner’s full ring cycle in February and March. Regents Opera presents Wagner’s epic in a new adaptation for 23-piece orchestra by conductor Ben Woodward.

The production goes ahead against a backdrop of cancellations and financial difficulties preventing opera companies from Germany’s Theatre Erfurt to New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the English National Opera from completing their Ring Cycles as planned. Regents Opera’s own production was put in peril when its previous venue was no longer able to host the final performances but ‘rapid negotiations’ with York Hall in Bethnal Green have secured an alternative venue.

Conductor Ben Woodward (pictured below) said: ‘The cast, the players, the production team and all the fundraisers and funders of this Cycle have all brought something incredible to this project over the last few years of planning and dreaming. It’s the product of sweat and tears, dreams and determination. It will be emotional and wonderful.’

© Tom Medwell

Woodward’s new orchestration is the product of hundreds of hours of work, and is similarly demanding of its performers, both orchestral and vocal. Catharine Woodward, who plays Brünnhilde, said: ‘It's the hardest work I've ever had to do – longer and far more complex than anything I've done so far. I spend more time on my own on stage before I even start singing, than some entire roles I've sung. But it does also feel like what I was made for.’

Peter Furlong who stars as Siegfried, added: ‘Performing this Siegfried is extra challenging due to the physical demands required and yet, this specifically is what makes it extra rewarding. This is a Siegfried unlike any out there. Our spectacular director, Caroline, has made this such an epic production in ways that will both surprise and delight you. This all means a bit of extra physical conditioning (and care for knees) is required for our dear tenor as he jumps up on (and down from) plinths, into pits, forges a sword, and generally has a bit of a run around for a couple of hours. All while singing. The plus side is my doctor is well pleased with my resting heart rate.’

© Steve Gregson

Brian Smith Walters, who plays Siegmund, adds: ‘I have to plan ahead to peak in terms of energy levels and vocal stamina, meaning planning how much I practise in the days leading up to a performance and even planning when and what I eat to fuel myself to stay on top form. As much as we singers are artists, we are also vocal athletes than need to prioritise when to rest, when to maintain, and when to go full throttle. And hopefully, when we peak at the right time, we can bring the magic and the energy that this amazing work of art demands.’

The in-the-round nature of the production is also demanding on the performers. Justine Viani, who plays Wellgunde, Sieglinde and Gutrune, said: ‘What we find here, in comparison to other productions of Wagner, is true intimacy between the audience and us. Every gesture, every eye movement has a purpose and can be clearly seen. It’s as intense for us as it is for the audience, and I love that! It allows me to become one with the character I’m playing.’

Andrew Mayor, who takes the dual roles of Donner and Gunther, added: ‘If I was to pick one aspect that excites me most about this production, it is that we are performing with audience on three sides, so all action has to be totally three dimensional. I feel that has encouraged us to dig deep into relationships between characters and to sustain action and energy at all times, because at any given point, if someone in the audience can see your face, someone else can see your back. There is nowhere to hide, exciting stuff!’

© Matthew Coughlan

Regents Opera also cites the death of company member Keel Watson (pictured above), who had played Wotan in the company’s previous instalments of the Cycle, as another driving force behind its determination to present the production, regardless of roadblocks. The role of Wotan in the 2025 performance will be played by baritone and Ring Cycle veteran Ralf Lukas, who said: ‘Having sung Wotan many times on stage, doing it with Regents Opera is really special, because there is no orchestra pit between us and the audience, that means the impressions to the listener are much more intense and direct. For us it is more like a "Kammerspiel", the reactions can be much smaller and the relations between the singers are much closer.’

Aside from the substitution of soprano Ella de Jongh as Ortlinde following the departure of Philippa Boyle to perform in the Royal Opera House’s premiere production of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Festen, the cast remains largely unchanged from Regents Opera’s most recent Ring, with Holden Madagame and Oliver Gibbs as Nibelung brothers Mime and Alberich, Craig Lemont Walters as the dragon Fafner, Mae Heydorn as Earth god Erda, Corrine Hartas Woodbird, Justine Viani’s as Sieglinde and James Schouten’s as Loge.