Birmingham gets a Russian Ring

The much-derided Mariinsky Ring Cycle (as seen at Covent Garden in 2009) goes West.

West Midlands, that is. The Birmingham Hippodrome, which "annually mounts the biggest pantomime in the country" is well-qualified to host the Gergiev-led extravaganza in November 2014.

The Maestro himself has, inevitably, "not yet had the chance to inspect the venue," so cross fingers he can fit his assortment of totem poles and Valkyries through the door.

Tickets go on sale on 9 December 2013. No word yet on prices, but given that they're offering a direct debit option don't expect it to be cheap.

 

*PRICING UPDATE* A brochure and booking form are now available, showing prices ranging from £252 to £756 for the full cycle.

For an additional £35, you can become a Hippodrome 'Friend', which gives you priority booking privileges, meaning you can book right now.

For £2,750, you can join the Ring Cycle Syndicate, which includes 5 nights' accommodation as well as various tours and activities.

Single performances will be on sale from Spring 2014.

Comments

[Nik]

Will the maestro find enough time to be present for the full 15 hours of performance? Or will he just fly in for the curtain call each night?

[JohnVecchio]

Will Brünnhilde manage to arrive on stage for the start of the Immolation this time around?

[Chris]

Price Band 4 Opera Package
A £756
B £630
C £546
D £399
E (Circle Only) £252

[William Lau]

I'll give you an alternative to watching what was on stage. Take a close look at Gergiev's conducting. Judge by yourself if he's sightreading the whole cycle. (My experience said yes.) Even if he is, he's a damn good sightreader. We know that instrumentalists or singers are required to be tested on their sightreading, but how about conductors?

[PetetheCheat]

What's that about ? I know that at the Met in 1990 Walhalla fell on top of Hildegard Behrens and damaged her back.

[PetetheCheat]

So, he doesn't know the score.

[manou]

I saw this Ring at its first outing at the Cardiff Millennium Centre. Apart from the bonus of seeing the work over four consecutive nights (lots of double casting), it was a very undisciplined and under-rehearsed affair, with never-ending intervals and idiosyncratic starting times. There were also the chaotic sets of George Tsypin - a nightmare rather than a dream.

But if there is anyone still yearning for a Ring in this centenary year - they will no doubt turn up.

[inter mezzo]

To most Wagner fans, any Ring is better than no Ring. It will sell.

[peter]

"Take a close look at Gergiev's conducting. Judge by yourself if he's sightreading the whole cycle. (My experience said yes.)"

Gergiev may produce uneven results but at his best he is a very great musician.

Its so easy to mock and imagine he has his head buried in a score. I saw him conduct berlioz for the last two nights and he had very close contact with the orchestra. They were also watching him intently.

Klemperer was once asked why he always conducted from the score (as opposed to conducting from memory). His terse reply was "because I can read music!"

[Victoria]

Are any details known on the cast? Can we expect Tyrfel / Stemme?
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Intermezzo replies - No. It is a Mariinsky production, so expect to see all-Mariinsky artists. Nikitin and Petrenko are up there with the very best; other singers are likely to be variable in quality.

[William Lau]

I agree totally with you. I got a front seat when I watched the Ring at Mariinsky. To dissendents such sightreading is ridiculous, but like I said earlier, he's a damn good sightreader, and I didn't mean that ironically. I didn't mind at all.

But on the other hand, from a Youtube clip of a masterclass in Rotterdam, he chided a student for looking too closely at the score. "What if you're conducting outdoors adn it's so windy... As conductors you have to do your homework."

[amac]

Well it is midnight and the Birmingham Site is down "owing to large amount of traffic" so maybe sales are going well !

I believe the version at ROH had been enhanced by video effects not present in Cardiff. Possibly this revival will be further enhanced.

Personally I did not mind the production - inoffensive but certainly more enjoyable than the ROHs own offering. Although as has been pointed out many times on this site - the musical standards were variable and the whole thing did limp over the finish line - much to the relief of all concerned !

Does the Hippodrome offer standing ? Given what I paid for the Berlin ring earlier this year the prices are a bit expensive !

[Nikolaus Vogel]

This may be the reason why Birmingham won't be getting the Opera North Ring in concert in 2015. I'd rather hear Richard Farnes conduct Wagner than Gergiev any day. At least we'll get the ON version in London, at the RFH.

[Nikolaus Vogel]

Did you hear Petrenko's Hagen at the Proms, IM? Up with the very best? Not sure about that....Birmingham will be lucky to get Nikitin - he has a very busy international schedule, but I guess he won't have to do many rehearsals.
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Intermezzo replies - I heard Petrenko's Hagen in Berlin, Milan and London this year and I can't imagine anyone else who could sing the role better in the theatre.

Given the prices, I would hope Gergiev's bringing over his top singers.

[Nikolaus Vogel]

Manou - it's 2014, not "this centenary year".

[manou]

"Tickets go on sale on 9 December 2013" ...still in centenary year (by the skin of my teeth!).

[Justin Chapman]

Farnes is a far-superior Wagnerian than Gergiev. Given that Gergiev had the finest cast at his disposal for his recording of Walkure, he fucks it up with conducting that is at best 'meh'. Unbelievable. I really don't like Gergiev - but not because I'm a homosexualist and think he's fudged the whole Putin/anti-gay thing - I just don't think he's that good a conductor.

[voiceanddiction]

I saw one of the Mariinsky Ring performances at the Met a few years ago. I'd just finished reading Michael Crichton's 1976 book , a fascinating science fiction book about Neanderthals and Vikings. The Mariinsky concept can be understood better in terms of the early humans as depicted by Crichton.

[William Lau]

Well, why not see both? I too hate the Walkure recording but I had a great time seeing the whole Ring live at Mariinsky (old). I agree with intermezzo's "any Ring is better than no Ring."

[amac]

I see from the schedule it is over 5 days - Friday a rest day !

[SJT]

What that's about, I suspect, is the fact that when the Gergiev/Tsypin Ring was given at the ROH, Larissa Gogolevskaya, the Brunnhilde, had her face stuck so deep in a bucket of vodka offstage that she managed to miss the opening of her own Immolation at the end of Gotterdammerung, struggling to climb up the set at the back without falling over and not actually bothering to sing until the scene was well under way.

I was in the Stalls Circle Row A on the side, watching Gergiev, who never even looked up.
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Intermezzo replies - I am afraid the truth is duller and less reliant on national stereotyping. Her dressing room (like most at the ROH) was a long way from the stage, and her journey involved a number of corridors, lifts and doors. The poor woman simply lost her way.

[SJT]

That's the official version. But of course, the truth is that all principals are shepherded around constantly backstage, especially the ones who can't read the English direction signs and/or have shown any indications of getting lost by the stage management crew.
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Intermezzo replies - Sorry, not true. Most of the crew came over with the Mariinsky, and guest artists don't get an in-house escort as a matter of course (I speak from experience).

[Dogbrook]

Fulham opera are doing two cycles of their piano-Ring in St Johns in the New Year. I got a great kick out of their Gotterdammerung last Friday. As much as I did from the Maryinsky's at the ROH (although not really comparable as they were at different stations on my own Ring-bahn).

[manou]

Well - I was there on Friday as well, and was pleasantly surprised! Considering the means Fulham Opera had at their disposal, they did very well indeed. Lots of clever touches, and some good voices, too. The horn player....no, I won't say anything about him - it was too much fun. And no cuts!