Australia gives up on its 2021 Ring cycle

Australia gives up on its 2021 Ring cycle

News

norman lebrecht

August 19, 2021

Opera Australia has admitted it has been forced to cancel its Brisbane Ring Cycle for the second year running due to Covid lockdowns.

‘As desperately disappointing as this news is, we understand that the safety and well-being of not only our performing Company, but the entire community is the absolute number one priority,’ said artistic director Lyndon Terracini.

Comments

  • Michael says:

    They haven’t given up! It has been postponed, NOT cancelled! They had to postpone last year’s cycles and we were able to carry forward our tickets to this year. From today’s OA email:-

    “We have committed to rescheduling both the Ring Cycle and Aida into a future season. This will ensure that the seven years of planning that has already gone into this project will not go to waste.

    “In the meantime, we would like to offer you the option to retain your tickets for the new dates, have your tickets converted into a gift voucher for use on a future transaction, donate the value of your tickets, or be issued a full refund.”

    • V. Lind says:

      Boy, there are orchestras in Canada that I wish would add the last option to their list of options. Orchestras here are so strapped that you would have to take them to court to get a refund.

      When I was a consultant to several orchestras I argued till I was blue in the face that 1) new dates might not work for people who had chosen the dates they had; b) people on tight entertainment budgets could not necessarily donate their tickets; c) gift vouchers were only applicable if there were places in the chosen replacement event, and rarely at the precisely equivalent value. Ears were never deafer. Patrons were charged if it was higher but not refunded if lower. And full refunds were never considered.

      Maybe the scramble since Covid has changed some of that hardline attitude, but I doubt it — they will be more strapped than ever, and I anticipate higher prices and less flexibility.

      • Solivagant says:

        A Ring Cycle is a bit “special” wherever it is performed.. Most ticket holders are likely to carry them forward if they have gone to all the bother of getting the tickets in the first place..

    • Maria says:

      Well, it’s cancelled for this year – same difference. It ain’t going to happen until some time in the future, by which time some ticket holders and others will have died.

  • ken says:

    Get your shots, folks !

  • Susa says:

    I feel so sorry for the Opera Australia and all of the people, who were involved in this wonderful production. I don’t understand, why the Australian Goverment is running this “Non Covid Strategie” without any other options and concepts. How will the countries business and culture survive this? No one can shut out a virus. We have to learn to live with it and to protect ourself mindful and responsible. Look at Europe. As one of the first opera Houses the Teatro Real Madrid returned back to live already in October 2020. The start was a bit crazy, but until March 2021 they improved their work, did rise a highly efficient Hygiene Concept and proved, that you can play and visit even Wagner Operas (Siegfried) without rising the covid cases in times, in which the COVID Infections were – are still much much higher, than in Australia. I cross my fingers, that peole will get vaccinated soon and that some good concepts will enable a much more normal live. All the best for the Opera Australia. I hope, that they are getting strong support from goverment and fund rising…

  • Paul Dawson says:

    Hip, hip, hooray! I have front and centre tickets and was worried that I’d have to forfeit them as a result of travel restrictions.

    My commiserations to those who suffer the cloud, rather than the silver lining.

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