Ten years ago this month, Australia’s first home-grown production of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung was staged in Adelaide in three cycles by the State Opera of South Australia. It was an artistic and commercial triumph, attracting two-thirds of its audience from overseas and interstate, winning ten Helpmann Awards and putting Australia firmly on the international Wagnerian map. Praised by international and Australian critics alike, it was described by one Sydney critic as ‘one of the finest occasions in the history of Australian music, opera and theatre’. Britain’s Sunday Times called it ‘one of the most visually resplendent Rings of recent times’, and hailed the intelligence of Elke Neidhardt’s direction. The Financial Times spoke of the unfailing excellence of its execution and the magnificent playing of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra under Asher Fisch.

Lisa Gasteen. Photo © Simon Langford Ely

Lisa Gasteen as Brünnhilde was at her peak and soon afterwards sang the role at Vienna, Covent Garden and the Met. Melba’s SACD recording took the performances to the world and, in the process, garnered praise and awards including the Prix Lauritz Melchior, Académie du disque lyrique Paris – twice....