Opera Australia’s fastest selling show ever, first staged in 2013, will be the company’s flagship event next year.

The most titanic leviathan of the operatic canon, Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle, is considered to be one of the most apollonian feats any opera company can undertake, and while the gamble of delivering a convincing account of the four operas in Der Ring des Nibelungen can be make-or-break for a company, when done well the rewards are considerable.

This was certainly the case for Opera Australia’s Melbourne Ring, directed by Neil Armfield, which premiered in 2013 to unanimous acclaim. The Melbourne Ring was also the fastest selling show in Opera Australia’s history, and now the company are hoping to replicate the outstanding commercial and critical successes of 2013 with a revival of Armfield’s stunning account in summer 2016.

Spread over three performances, as per Wagner’s original Bühnenfestspiel vision for the Norse inspired saga, the 2016 Melbourne Ring will offer three performances of the four operas of the cycle, and will take place at the Arts Centre Melbourne between November 21 and December 16 2016.

Some of the key contributors to the premiere performances will reprise their...