Opera Australia’s new staging of Wagner’s epic tetralogy was one of the highest-profile victims of the global pandemic, but at last it’s here. Chen Shi-Zheng’s 2016 Turandot on Sydney Harbour proved that the Chinese director has plenty of visual resource, and this time he promises a tale of gods and monsters explored through a futuristic lens in “a parallel universe where many cultures walk together”. The assembled mix of international stars and Australian talent includes Stefan Vinke as Siegfried with Lise Lindstrom and Anna Louise Cole as Brünnhilde, Daniel Sumegi as Wotan and Warwick Fyfe as Alberich. Philippe Augin conducts.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Come on an exhilarating adventure with men and maidens, gods and giants, dragons and dwarves. As greed and violence threaten to destroy the heavens and earth, a glimmer of hope rises from an unexpected source. This is Wagner’s Ring Cycle — the pinnacle of opera — a 15-hour epic performed over four nights.

This spectacular new production by visionary Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng explores Wagner’s legendary tale through a futuristic lens. His global vision imagines a parallel universe where many cultures walk together. Towering, moving digital panels create an immersive virtual world. Astonishing costumes and props imagine an unknown future.

Cycle 3: 15 – 21 December