RING CYCLE
It's never been done in the Edinburgh Festival and it's the largest undertaking in Scottish Opera's history. The key players in the mammoth RING CYCLE project talk about what it means to lose their next four summers. Words: KellyApter
The Director
Tim Albery is late. It‘s Friday: the last day of rehearsals before the weekend. but more importantly the last weekend he can return home before the real slog begins. He arrives. overnight bag in hand. in a flurry of apologies. A freelance director for many years. Albery is used to juggling long-distance creativity with bringing up a young family. But even he was cautious about taking on a project as time- consuming as this.
‘I had about three weeks to think about it and decide if this was really what I wanted to do.‘ he says. ‘You‘re basically writing off the next four summers. But the chances of being asked to do the Ring again in
the next twenty years are minimal. so you‘re so vastly tempted to say yes. Then you contemplate the piece and you quake. and then you say “grow up“ and off you go. That was the most terrifying time. trying to decide whether to do it. Having made the decision
it‘s been really quite exhilarating.‘
Albery plays his cards notoriously close to his chest. and little is known about how the production will actually be staged. He is. however. keen to make the piece as accessible as possible. Other- worldly gods have been attributed very distinctive human qualities or flaws which. Albery says. will mean ‘people can then say “Ah. he‘s that kind of person or she‘s that kind of person“. which I think really helps if you don‘t know the piece.‘
Other than that. we‘ll have to wait and see what unfolds on opening night. ‘It‘s not that it‘s shrouded in secrecy.‘ says Albery. ‘It‘s just that my experience of these things is if you describe exactly what you‘re going to do. then why bother doing it in the first place? It‘s like writing the book of the movie before the movie
comes out.‘
The Conductor
In a sea of Ring Cycle virgins. Richard Armstrong is throwing a life raft. The only member of this talented quartet to have tackled the opera previously. Armstrong is also credited with being one of Britain‘s finest Wagnerian interpreters. During his thirteen-year association with Welsh National Opera he conducted two complete Ring Cycles at the Royal Opera House. and he only came to Scotland on the proviso that he could complete one here.
‘It‘s fourteen years since I did the last one.‘ says Armstrong. ‘Which is a great thing in a way. because doing the Ring is a mammoth undertaking for a conductor. there‘s nothing quite like it. But it‘s good to have time to get away from it.‘
Having famously cancelled Scottish Opera‘s last attempt at a Cycle when he arrived as artistic director in 1993. Armstrong now feels the orchestra is ready to do Wagner‘s masterpiece justice. ‘I‘m much more confident now about what we‘ll deliver.‘ he says. ‘Last time I would have been coming in in the middle of Siegfried. then putting the whole thing together. But it‘s really the kind of project where you‘ve got to be there from day one.‘
Like Bechtler. Armstrong is also benefiting from a previous association with Tim Albery with whom be staged Fidelio at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1994. 'I was thrilled that Tim responded to our invitation to direct. because firstly he‘s absolutely the right man for the job and secondly we have a very strong and happy working relationship.‘
So when the curtain falls in 2003 and Armstrong‘s Scottish ambition has been fully realised. will he be reaching for his coat? 'It‘s too early to say. Eight years of sorting out problems is fairly mind blowing.‘ he says of Scottish Opera‘s notorious financial troubles. 'But I‘m beginning to feel a real pride in the company‘s achievements and I hope they continue to do work of this calibre here.‘
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17—24 Aug 2000 TIIE ll8T FESTIVAL GUIDE 19