“Everyone will tell you, I’m all about the detail,” says Suzanne Chaundy, on the phone from Melbourne. She is at the sharp end of rehearsals for a new production of Die Walküre, the second part of Melbourne Opera’s Ring Cycle, following an acclaimed Das Rheingold in February 2021.

Chaundy is one of Australia’s most experienced directors of the grandest of grand opera. Before embarking on the Ring she directed Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde and The Flying Dutchman for Melbourne Opera.

Suzanne Chaundy

Suzanne Chaundy. Photo supplied

“The good thing is that we’re doing the Ring bit by bit, rather than all in one go, which I think I’d find pretty confronting because the level of detail is extraordinary and for me, the devil is in the detail,” says Chaundy, going on to explain her perspective.

“My approach is to tell the story as well as humanly possible and really explore the themes without layering on tonnes of obvious contemporary relevance.”

It’s all there for people to find – if that’s what they want to do – but it’s up to the individual, she believes, because in these COVID times,...