Regents Opera: this is a serious Ring
A celebrated boxing venue will soon resound to a different battle cry.

“Seconds out!” York Hall - London’s Bethnal Green - is a celebrated boxing venue. In February and March, it will resound to a different battle cry. “Hojotoho!”.
“And in the Blue Corner, Wotan” Round 1: Rheingold; Round 2: Die Walküre; Round 3: Siegfried; Round 4: Götterdämmerung. “And what’s this? Twilight for Wotan. Brünnhilde rides to the rescue.”
Unlike normal York Hall fare the outcome is certain. Spoiler alert. Nothing less than the end of the world. If Trump inaugurations aren’t your thing and pledges to stand by Ukraine “for 100 years” strike you as a tad unrealistic, take yourself off to see Regents Opera.
Cycle 1 Sun 9th March – Sun 16th February, Cycle 2 Sun 23rd Feb – Sun 2nd March.
Tickets are a little as £3 and hour – well, it is quite long – and available here.
First elephant in the room is, who needs a pared down Ring? The opportunity to experience the full cycle is becoming rarer. Longborough Festival Opera offered three cycles year – the most comprehensive immersion in the UK in recent years.
Most mainstage houses find it difficult to justify. This year, Vienna State Opera is giving it a go. The New York’s Met has just announced a performance for 2030. They will roll out one a season then present the whole caboose. The last time was in 2019.
It’s a fully orchestrated version. Not Wagner on a plinkety-plink piano. Ben Woodward, in charge of orchestration has honed the score to 23 musicians. To put it in context, The Met has 120, Longborough 72.
He has put huge effort into getting the balance in that tight space the presentation promises to be electric. He lives in Germany and has broad experience with German houses, for example, Korrepetitor mit Dirigierverpflictung at Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landestheater – I was overwhelmed!
Suffice to say, he knows what he’s doing and I hope his musicians are on steroids.
I spoke to Caroline Staunton, director. Staunton works in Berlin at the coal face with leading director Dmitri Tcherniakov. Her background is the Dublin Theatre scene. She bubbles with enthusiasm and has a clear view that the fates are sealed by Alberich’s curse.
We shall be watching events unwind to their natural conclusion. I picked up on a phrase I had forgotten in connection with Gunter, King of the Gibichungs who are famous for “bling”. It’s from Philip Larkin. Gunter is a “ruin-bibber, randy for antique”.
In five short works, Larkin distils the TwitterX, Instagram and Tik Tok generation. As he was dead, just shows how moral constants flow through the ages.
Staunton’s challenge will be to bring the immediacy of the action forefront without overwhelming the audience. This will be Wagner as you have nerve seen to before, up close and persona.
Ralf Lukas will sing Wotan, Brünnhilde is Catharine Woodward Siegfried, Peter Furlong
Holden Madagame, Oliver Gibbs, Nibelung brothers, Craig Lamont Walters, Faffner, Mae Heydorn, the earth god Earda, Corinne Hart, the Woodbird – a vital role – Justine Viani’s Sieglinde and James Schouten’s the oily loge.
There are many takes on Wagner’s Ring. David Ocker’s Seven Minute Ring, Ramon Sender, Blast of White Nose and David Bedford’s Ring in a Minute. Whatever floats your boat.
But this is a serious Ring, delivered with the profundity it deserves. That’s what Regents opera offers. Can’t wait to go.