PREVIEW - THE RING CYCLE
Covent Garden

THIS time last year there were great hopes that theatre impresario Raymond Gubbay would herald a new dawn of opera in the West End.
Hopeful stars would take the lead roles and the audiences would fill cheap seats at the Savoy Theatre in The Strand to catch such popular works as Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute and Bizet’s Carmen.
But despite such sing-along hits, it was not to be. The expected crowds did not appear and the bold experiment came to an end.
But this year sees the traditional home of British opera, the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, firmly stamp its authority on the scene.
Perhaps most significant is a brand new production of Wagner’s The Ring.
You either love or hate Wagner but wherever you stand it is hard not to be impressed by the size of this production. It began this week with Das Rheingold, with Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel as Wotan.
He reprises his role in March when Die Walkure opens and he is joined by Lisa Gasteen, who makes her debut, as Brunnhilde.
But tickets are sure to be like gold dust come July when none other than Placido Domingo (pictured below) arrives to star as Siegmund.
Unlike Pavarotti, who only recently returned to performing in opera, Domingo has made a point of continually appearing on the stage around the world.
For more information and to book tickets ring 020 7304 4000.