To all friends I am sending my warmest and best Greetings for  a


          Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I sincerely hope that you all are having wonderful holidays and I wish you a very successful and peaceful year 2004.

2004 will be an important year because we hope to finish our "Ring" project by producing "Goetterdaemmerung". Of course I had hoped for a long time that the NNT would put all the "Ring" operas together, to perform them all in a cycle during ca. 10 days. But I have lost the confidence that this is what the NNT wants and can do. So together with Keith Warner and all of the cast I will do the very best to complete the work with an impressive "Goetterdaemmerung" to have at least a cycle with in 4 years which is also a great challenge.
I would like to express my real and deep thanks to all of you for helping, discussing, participating and sharing your ideas about this project. Your kind interest is the most wonderful gift you can offer to us, the artists. And we are extremely happy to perform specially for you !
See you soon

very sincerely     yours     Jun Maerkl