A poster advertising the 'First Australian Production | "The Ring" by Richard Wagner ... Adelaide 2004 ... 16 November - 12 December'
An original colour-printed poster on paper (800 × 380 mm); one tiny hole to a plain area in the bottom right quarter; in very good condition. The poster is based around a stunning photograph by Peter Holderness.
'State Opera of South Australia - twice - achieved a goal sought by much larger and more prestigious companies: complete Wagner Ring cycles, with the Paris Theatre du Châtelet production in 1998 and the first Australian-built "Der Ring des Nibelungen" in 2004. The small State Opera of South Australia succeeded in staging Richard Wagner's 16-hour four-opera "Ring" cycle as an artistic and commercial success that eluded much bigger companies. Australian stage producer Noel Staunton, called in by State Opera of South Australia early to solve the technical problems for the Adelaide production, was part of a failed attempt by the English National Opera in the 1980s to create a new British Ring that was killed by the cost. Opera Australia also attempted the "Ring" cycle in the 1980s, putting on "Die Walkure" followed by "Das Rheingold", before giving up. The Victorian and New South Wales state operas got nowhere with the idea. Scottish Opera won awards for its production but was driven to the brink financially. The State Opera of South Australia's advantage was that it was small and had a dwindling number of subscribers. This freed State Opera of South Australia from the demands of mainstream repertory that audiences in bigger cities expected and it could focus on specific projects like the "Ring"' (AdelaideAZ, online).
Item #136018
Price (AUD):
$200.00