SYDNEY, May 29 (Xinhua) -- In a world-first international production, Richard Wagner's 16-hour operatic masterpiece, "The Ring", will be staged in Australia by renowned Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng.
Opera Australia on Wednesday said that the epic performance will be done three times, with each "cycle" spanning four nights in Brisbane, the capital city of Australia's north eastern State of Queensland.
Chen, who now splits his time between Shanghai and New York, will be the first from his country ever to attempt the work which has been dubbed the "Everest of opera" for it's intimidating length and scope.
"Creating a Ring Cycle is an extraordinary adventure, it's exhilarating, challenging, stimulating and incredibly rewarding for all those involved," Opera Australia artistic director Lyndon Terracini said.
Reflecting an emerging trend in global opera, the production will be fully digital, using giant moveable LED screens and state-of-the-art lighting, relying on Chen's reputation for incorporating technology into theater.
"With the Ring, as we all know, it needs to be on a grand scale," Terracini said.
"The audience need to feel when they go into the theater that this something extraordinary, and with this sort of technology we can do that," Terracini said.
Performances will be held across November and December of 2020.
