Opera Australia has today confirmed that Richard Mills AM, the conductor to whom the company entrusted its monumental Ring Cycle, has stepped down from the podium.

He has withdrawn just months before the November launch of the $15 million Neil Armfield production of Wagner’s tetralogy, due to a lack of both “chemistry between cast and conductor” and “unity of vision”, Mills commented in a statement issued today.

The sudden resignation comes as a shock following weeks of rehearsals and almost two years of dedicated preparations. In May 2011, the Australian composer-conductor told Limelight he was about to put his own music on hold for an extended period of concentration on the scores of Wagner. “Conducting and composing are two completely different habits of mind, and I find it very hard to work on both intensely at once – that’s why after I’ve finished my organ concerto I’m not writing any more music until after the Ring Cycle in 2013,” he said.

Two weeks ago, when Limelight again caught up with Mills, he was positive about his progress, having been in close collaboration with Opera Australia head of music Tony Legge. “Only a fool would approach the Ring...