The Met Opera has announced that it is giving up offering from 2025, as planned, the Ring in Richard Jones’ version. Wagner’s tetralogy was to be co-produced with the English National Opera (ENO) faced with a sharp drop in its public subsidy decided at the end of 2022.
The Met Opera does not want to take any financial risk
In November 2021, Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Met Opera, proudly announced that the New York institution would offer the Ring of Richard Wagner in the very modern new version of the British director Richard Jones from 2025 and would present complete cycles by the end of the 2026-27 season under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This new Ring in New York was to be co-produced with English National Opera. Unfortunately, the situation of ENO, faced with a sharp drop in its public subsidy, compromises the realization of this ambitious project. Indeed, despite a delay granted to the London institution, the management of the Met Opera does not want to take the slightest risk, especially since the previous production of Wagner’s tetralogy at Lincoln Center, between 2012 and 2019 in the version by Robert Lepage, had cost the Met $16 million.
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English National Opera will not offer Siegfried et The twilight of the Gods in 2024 and 2025
Initially, the management of the Met Opera had contacted the Deutsche Oper Berlin to propose the Ring in Stefan Herheim’s version, but had finally turned to the ENO which proposed the monumental work, directed by Richard Jones, in London. Coliseum since November 2021. Unfortunately English National Opera has just announced that after the performance of L’Or du Rhin on February 18, he would not be able to offer Siegfried et The twilight of the Gods in 2024 and 2025. Defections which therefore led the Met to cancel this project. “As ENO is unable to continue production of its Ring cycle, it is obviously impossible to continue to produce it with them”. said Peter Yellow.
Philippe Gault
