Discover The Ring

Stockbridge Music Hub in Edinburgh, UK is excited to invite you to an eight-day event titled ‘Discover The Ring’. Suitable for those new to the work as well as those who may have seen it before! Musicians and scholars, renowned for their Wagner interpretation and knowledge will perform and share their experiences and opinions about Richard Wagner and his most famous work. Spread throughout the week will be screenings of the Bayreuth1992 - Kupfer/Barenboim Ring production. Opening the week, scholar Micheal Downes, talk about his recently published book ‘Story of the Century: Wagner and the Creation of The Ring. On the second day there will be recital by Susan Bullock and emerging star Laura Margaret Smith. A programme will include the Wesendonk Leider and extracts from Götterdämmerung. Conductor, Lionel Friend who worked closely with Barenboim on the production being screened will deliver four, sixty minute talks. With musical illustrations at the piano and from recordings, Lionel will look into various aspects of Wagner's Ring cycle: its origins, text, characters and music to see how Wagner explores the frailties and triumphs of human nature. On Tuesday evening Keith Warner, opera director, will speak to scholar Barry Millington about his work and the challenges of working on this scale and often with provocative themes. The final day will begin with a talk by one of the great interpreters of the often misunderstood character, Wotan, Sir John Tomlinson.