Epic show biggest ever for Ulumbarra

A MARATHON opera production stretching from early afternoon into the evening, and bigger than anything seen before in Bendigo, is set to engulf the audience at Ulumbarra Theatre on the last Sunday in February.

Melbourne Opera’s mammoth five-hour interpretation of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre, which is part two of the four-opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, will feature the renowned 90-piece Melbourne Opera Orchestra and a star studded, all-Australian cast.

Melbourne Opera director and resident conductor Greg Hocking said the facilities offered at the state-of-the-art Ulumbarra Theatre means the production can “bring everything without any compromise.”

“The whole physical production, the whole ninety-piece orchestra and all the great stars will be presented in full in Bendigo. It’s the biggest show that’s ever been at Ulumbarra Theatre,” Hocking said.

In a world where instant gratification is considered the norm, something that sets Die Walküre even further apart from most modern forms of entertainment is it’s running time.

“It starts at two and it’ll end at seven,” Hocking said.

“There’s two long intervals though, so you can recover and so that the orchestra can recover. It’s a big undertaking for everybody, including the audience, but you get sort of sucked into this magic.

“The storyline and the music is so potent, it sucks you into this other world.

“It has this amazing effect on you once you come out of the theatre. People travel from all over to see it, and there’s a reason for that.”

While Wagner’s operas can be challenging at times, Hocking said Die Walküre was a good entry point into the German composer’s extensive works.

“If you’ve never seen a Wagner opera, this is a very good one to see,” Hocking said.

“And it doesn’t come along very often, this opportunity. Walküre was last done in Melbourne in 2016, five years ago, and it’s never been done in Bendigo. It’s a Bendigo premiere.

“The other good thing is that these operas are generally done in very large venues. So to see it in an 800 seater, but with the full effects of the orchestra and the big set, it’ll have an even more overwhelming impact.

“It’s really something I can’t tell you enough about. There’s a big deal coming on the 27th. (https://flossdental.com/) ”

Die Walküre will be performed at Ulumbarra Theatre on Sunday, 27 February. For more info and to book visit bit.ly/3oKH1vC.