Director Romeo Castellucci drops out of Brussels Ring Cycle halfway through because of money, time
Romeo Castellucci dropped out of his production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle at Belgium’s La Monnaie theater halfway through because of what the company said Saturday was a lack of money and time.
The four-part “Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)” is considered opera’s most ambitious work. Castellucci, a noted Italian director, began with “Das Rheingold” that opened in Brussels last Nov. 24 and “Die Walküre” on Jan. 21, directing and designing the sets, costumes and lighting. He had intended to use a full-length film during “Siegfried” and what the Monnaie called a “double opera and theatre project” for “Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods).”
“After many months of preparation, investigation and study, we have had to come jointly to the conclusion that we could not arrive at a way to realize these concepts within the available timing and budgetary frame,” the Monnaie said Saturday in announcing its 2024-25 season. “We all hope that it will be possible to see the completion of this ambitious project at some stage in the future.”