The Brisbane Ring (Cycle II)

Be captivated by a new production of the Ring by visionary Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng as he explores Wagner’s legendary tale through a futuristic lens, using towering, moving digital panels to create an immersive virtual world.

The production will be led by veteran French Ring conductor Philippe Auguin. He leads a cast of international stars including Lise Lindstrom as Brünnhilde, Stefan Vinke as Siegfried and Daniel Sumegi as Wotan. The cast will be complemented by the Queensland Symphony’s Ring Cycle Orchestra, which will unite hundreds of musicians from across Australia.

Enjoy among the best seats in the house (Premium Reserve) for the entire cycle, enriched by private pre-performance lectures by international Wagner expert Peter Bassett as well as a symposium convened by the Richard Wagner Society to complement the Ring performances.

Benefit from a hand-crafted program of sightseeing in and around Brisbane, including a private guided tour of the Margaret Olley Art Centre in Murwillumbah and a scenic drive to the Glass House Mountains, a setting reminiscent of Siegfried’s forest.

**POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE**

Please click ‘Register Interest’ to receive further information when more details are available.

At a Glance

  • Enjoy Premium Category seats for all performances of the Ring at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre
  • Benefit from enlightening talks by your tour leader and Wagner world expert Peter Bassett
  • Attend a Wagner Society symposium to complement your Ring experience
  • Enjoy a private guided tour of the Margaret Olley Art Centre and a day trip to the Glass House Mountains

Tour Leader

Peter Bassett

Destination

Dates

05–13 November 2021 (9 days)

Tour Status

Postponed

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Arrive in Brisbane and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements.

This evening, join Peter and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing, followed by dinner.

(D)

In the morning, enjoy a pre-performance talk by Peter, followed by a visit of the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens. The gardens feature a bamboo grove, weeping fig avenue as well as ornamental ponds.

In the early evening transfer by coach to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the performance of Das Rheingold commencing at 7pm.

CAST – DAS RHEINGOLD
Wotan – Daniel Sumegi
Donner – Andrew Moran
Froh – Dean Bassett
Loge – Hubert Francis
Alberich – Warwick Fyfe
Fricka – Jacqueline Dark
Freia – Mariana Hong
Erda – Liane Keegan
Mime – Andreas Conrad
Fasolt – To be announced
Fafner – Andrea Silvestrelli

(B)

Today enjoy a scenic drive through the Glass House Mountains in the hinterland of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The pinnacles that form the mountains are in fact volcanic plugs and rise 1,800 feet above the coastal plain. The mountains were named by Captain Cook when he sighted them from his ship the HMS Endeavour.

Enjoy lunch at King Ludwig’s Bavarian Restaurant located in the town of Maleny before exploring the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. Located in the Blackall Range, the rainforest evokes the impression of Siegfried’s forest.

Return to Brisbane in the late afternoon, followed by the evening at leisure.

(BL)

This morning enjoy a pre-performance talk by Peter, followed by some time at leisure.

In the mid-afternoon, return to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the performance of Die Walkűre commencing at 5pm.

CAST – DIE WALKÜRE
Siegmund – Rosario La Spina
Hunding – Andrea Silvestrelli
Wotan – Daniel Sumegi
Sieglinde – Anna-Louise Cole
Brünnhilde – Lise Lindstrom
Fricka – Jacqueline Dark

(B)

This morning attend a symposium organised in conjunction with the Richard Wagner Society of Queensland. Enjoy talks and panel discussions by leading Wagner experts.

The remainder of the day and evening is at leisure.

In the evening enjoy an optional performance of Aida at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. (Optional, extra cost applies)

(B)

This morning enjoy a pre-performance talk by Peter before some free time.

In the afternoon return to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the performance of Siegfried commencing at 5pm.

CAST – SIEGFRIED
Siegfried – Stefan Vinke
Mime – Andreas Conrad
Alberich – Warwick Fyfe
Fafner – Andrea Silvestrelli
Erda – Liane Keegan
Woodbird – Stacey Alleaume
Brünnhilde – Lise Lindstrom
The Wanderer – Daniel Sumegi

(B)

Today, travel south across the Queensland border to Murwillumbah to visit the Tweed Regional Gallery. Enjoy a private guided tour of the gallery’s vibrant exhibition of established national and regional artists, including the Margaret Olley Art Centre, dedicated to Australia’s most famous painter of still life and interiors. Central to this is the re-creation of areas of Olley’s famous home studio, principally the Hat Factory and the Yellow Room.

Return to Brisbane in the late afternoon. The evening is at leisure.

(BL)

This morning enjoy a pre-performance talk before a special farewell lunch with Peter and fellow travellers.

In the afternoon return to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the performance of Götterdämmerung commencing at 4pm.

CAST – GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG
Siegfried – Stefan Vinke
Gunther ­– Luke Gabbedy
Alberich – Warwick Fyfe
Hagen – Andrea Silvestrelli
Brünnhilde – Lise Lindstrom
Gutrune – Maija Kovalevska
Waltraute – Deborah Humble
Woglinde – Eva Kong
Wellgunde – Jane Ede
Flosshilde – Dominica Matthews

(BL)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour.

(B)

Per person, double/twin-share

AUD 7,950

Single supplement*

AUD 1,150

Deposit per person (at time of booking)

AUD 2,500

*Single travellers may request to share.
Please advise at time of booking.

Room category upgrades available. Please enquire with us.

Payment schedule

Deposit per person (at time of booking) AUD 2,500
Final payment due 05 August 2021

Tour code

OA2109

Fitness level

Moderate
Please see Terms & Conditions for fitness level definitions.

Suggested airline

Qantas Airways
Please contact Renaissance Tours or your travel agent for current airfares and flight reservations

Tour price includes

  • Premium (Category 1) seats for all four Ring performances
  • Eight nights’ accommodation in a 5-star hotel with breakfast daily (B)
  • Lectures and talks by your tour leader, Peter Bassett
  • Entrance to a Wagner Society-convened symposium
  • Meals as per itinerary (L=Lunch, D=Dinner); wines with meals
  • Luxury transportation throughout on comfortable air-conditioned coaches
  • Comprehensive sightseeing, including entrance fees as per itinerary
  • Gratuities for local guides and drivers
  • Hotel porterage (one piece per person)

Tour price does not include

  • Domestic flights (please contact Renaissance Tours or your travel agent for assistance)
  • Airport/hotel transfers on arrival and departure
  • Airport porterage
  • Items of a personal nature, including telephone, laundry, taxis, room service, etc.
  • Travel insurance (a condition of travel; please contact Renaissance Tours or your travel agent for assistance)

 

Your hotel

Emporium Hotel South Bank *****
The luxurious 5-star Emporium Hotel, located on Brisbane’s South Bank, boasts an unrivalled location, only minutes’ walk from the banks of the Brisbane River and just steps away from some of Brisbane’s major museums, galleries and restaurants. The spacious rooms are complete with a large en-suite, with glass-enclosed marble shower and views over West End and Highgate Hill and further afield. The hotel features two restaurants as well as a roof-top terrace and piano bar.

Emporium Hotel South Bank

 

Dear fellow Ring-goers,

This new production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen is hugely exciting. One hundred and forty-four years after the first complete performance at Bayreuth, there is still nothing quite like the Ring! It is, said Wagner, a ‘festival drama for three days and a preliminary evening’, and everything we associate with the word ‘festival’ applies. Spread over a week or so, it can be savoured by audiences without distraction, while ancillary events – talks, symposia, other performances and exhibitions – broaden and embellish the experience.

The work draws us into its story of ambition, lust, sacrifice, love, generosity, fear and deceit; the embrace and beauty of nature and, above all, wisdom and the promise of a better world. Audiences respond to these things, and I have witnessed the ‘Ring phenomenon’ in locations as diverse as West and East Europe, China, Southeast Asia, the Brazilian Amazon, the great cities of North America and, of course, Australia. The composer would be amazed, I think, and pleased, that the massive work around which much of his adult life revolved, was being performed in places of which he had only the vaguest knowledge in the nineteenth century. Like all great works of art, the Ring speaks of universal and timeless human experiences, and it is for this reason that productions can remain true to the drama’s inner workings even when being viewed through the eyes of different cultures and in different times.

The Ring in Brisbane in 2021 promises to resonate with the culture in which it is being performed, just as the original Bayreuth production resonated with its time and circumstances in 1876.

I look forward very much to sharing this Ring adventure with you.

Peter Bassett

Fitness Level

Moderate

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