Meyer: I did not expect Thielemann to cancel everything of Der Ring des Nibelungen

From Christian Thielemann, who has cancelled the direction of all four operas of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, ‘we did not expect such a drastic choice’: La Scala's superintendent Dominique Meyer explained this during the press conference at the Italian Embassy in Vienna in which he presented to the Austrian media the forthcoming La Scala season in which two of the four Ring titles Thielemann worked on with director Daniel McVicar are scheduled.

Meyer expressed his deep disappointment, emphasising that this decision comes after four years of intensive preparation work to find the ideal dates for the event.

‘Such a drastic choice was not expected,’ said Meyer, reflecting on the feeling of disappointment that pervades the artistic team.

The Ring's prologue, Rheingold, is scheduled for October when Thielemann will undergo surgery on his Achilles tendon. Next season it will be the turn of Walküre and Siegfrid, and in the following season Götterdämmerung and the performance of the entire tetralogy.

Meyer wanted to highlight a positive aspect: ‘We are nevertheless pleased to have brought in Simone Young and Alexander Soddy, two very talented artists.

This situation represents a significant blow not only for Meyer, who is nearing the end of his term, but also for his successor Fortunato Ortombina, who will have to deal with the consequences of this decision.

‘We remain confident in La Scala's ability to overcome this challenge and continue to offer high-quality events to Milanese and international audiences,’ he concluded.