Playing with Fire: The pursuit of a Wagner Performance tradition in Adelaide in the decade 1995- 2005 and factors impeding its realisation.
The Adelaide Wagner Decade 1995-2005. Peter Bassett was very closely involved in the production and planning of both Adelaide Ring Cycles in 1998 and 2004, as well as the State Opera of South Australia’s 2001 production of Parsifal. For example, at Arts SA, Peter was involved with the planning of the 2004 Ring and 2001 Parsifal from a government perspective (as well as being a member of the State Opera Board), was engaged as Artistic Administrator and appointed Dramaturg for the 2004 Ring, coordinated the ancillary events program for the 2004 Ring and gave the pre-performance lectures for the two Rings and Parsifal. 
His book A Ring for the Millennium was published in 1998 and, as a second edition entitled The Nibelung’s Ring, in 2004. A book on Parsifal published in 2000 was republished in 2008, while another on Tristan und Isolde was published in 2006. In 2016, Peter was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Griffith University for a thesis entitled: Playing with fire: The pursuit of a Wagner performance tradition in Adelaide in the decade 1995-2005, and factors impeding its realisation. His talk will include DVD footage of the 1998 and 2004 Rings in rehearsal and performance, and the 2001 Parsifal.
