Simon Callow IS Richard Wagner |
Events related to Wagner will include:
- An interactive sculpture installed in the Covent Garden piazza. Created by set designer Es Devlin (Les Troyens, Take That‘s Progress Tour (Really? Ed), and the London 2012 Closing Ceremony), the installation will feature behind-the-scenes footage captured during a performance of the ROH's Die Walküre.
- An "original take" on Die Walkure by Gandini Juggling (Yes. They juggle)
- Mime artist Andrew Dawson, who will perform a potted version of Wagner’s Ring cycle (Is it just me that is having flashbacks to the 60's with David Bowie, Lindsay Kemp and Threepenny Pierrot ? Ed)
- And in what maybe the most interesting event, Simon Callow will present a one-man show - Inside Wagner’s Head - commissioned specially for the festival, in which Callow will play Wagner.
"This is an incredible year for opera lovers. The two-hundredth birthdays of Verdi and Wagner and the centenary of our very own Benjamin Britten’s entry into the world. Very proud and pleased to be associated with Deloitte Ignite’s contribution to this celebration and the opening up of opera to as wide an audience as possible.’
The festival will run from 6 – 29 September.