Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
The national opera company is returning to its traditional Melbourne home for the first time in more than four years, with a gala performance of Wagner.
Opera Australia last performed at the State Theatre in May 2022.
The much-loved venue re-opened as the Ian Potter State Theatre earlier in October following extensive renovations at Arts Centre Melbourne, as part of a $1.7 billion revitalisation of the city’s arts precinct.
The refurbished 2000-seat theatre now includes state-of-the-art lighting and sound, new seats and improved disability access.
It’s been the first major refurbishment since 1984, with the theatre stage one of the largest in the southern hemisphere.
Opera Australia’s last staged opera in the theatre was Wagner’s Lohengrin, and on Friday it will lift the curtain to perform a selection of works by the German composer.
They include pieces from The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, The Ring Cycle, Tristan und Isolde and Tannhäuser.
Wagner is known for some of the most ambitious – and longest – compositions in the operatic canon, including the 16-hour Ring Cycle.
Opera Australia staged its first production of the Ring Cycle at the State Theatre in 2013.
On Friday, leading Wagner specialist Michael Güttler will conduct Orchestra Victoria and singers including British soprano Catherine Foster, who performed Brünnhilde in the Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival.
Australian baritone James Clayton will also take to the stage as well as tenor Sergey Skorokhodov, who will perform Tannhäuser in Opera Australia’s 2027 production.
The Australian Ballet returns to the theatre later in October with The Nutcracker.
