On the Green hill there is a generation change. The “Ring” seen in the year 2020, a rejuvenation. The announcement of the production team hit like a bomb.
At the start of the Bayreuth festival on August 25. July is a new production of Richard Wagner’s Opera “Tannhäuser” on the boards of the Bayreuth festival house game. But a day before another message overshadowed everything else. At the press conference, game Director Katherina Wagner announces a change in generation at “Green hills”: The Austrian Director Valentin Black, is this year 30 years old, assumes the direction of the four-part Opera cycle of Richard Wagner’s “Ring des Nibelungen”. The conductor of the production, the Inkinen Finn, Pietari, is only nine years older.
The Surprise was great: with a Grin, Katharina Wagner thanked for the many suggestions for the production team, noted, however, that probably none have had these two names on the screen.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer are a regular festival visitor (recording from the year 2017)
Valentin Black won the international directing competition Ring Award in 2017. He staged a hit production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” at the Theater an der Wien and Maurizio Kagel’s “Mare Nostrum” at the Cologne Opera, is more likely in medium-sized cities such as Karlsruhe, Cottbus, Graz and Montpellier and so far never with a Wagner Opera in the past.
Also, Pietari Inkinen is considered a secret tip. So far, he has been the chief conductor post at the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Symphony orchestra held. Or he has the orchestra of the Ludwigsburger games and the Deutsche radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern castle festival on the console and stood, none of them is regarded as the Top orchestra.
Maestro-tired?
“There is only one Star in Bayreuth, and he is called Richard Wagner”: the sentence of The former festival Director Wolfgang Wagner is still quoted today. To 100. The anniversary of his birthday will take place on the eve of the festival start to the game, a ceremony in the house instead of the game.
This is not to say that big names are banished from the Green hill. Two come in this year from Russia: the conductor Valery Gergiev and soprano Anna Netrebko. The latter comes only a few weeks later to Bayreuth and takes on the role of Elsa in “Lohengrin”. For Gergiev occurs at the opening of the festival in action: He conducted the “Tannhäuser”. Whether for his sudden Cancel-famous conductor came to all the rehearsals? Also here is the answer of the head of the game a Surprise: “Yes, he has perceived all of the contractually defined dates. Even if he arrived late two times.”
An exciting, funny “Tannhäuser”
With all the hype about names and occupations, you could almost forget that there is this year a new production. “Exciting,” and “sometimes even funny” to be directed by Tobias Kratzer, so Katharina Wagner. Scratch should have integrated the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, and the elements of the long history of the 1876-founded a festival in his directorial concept. Will populate the extras the stage and a second audience. “Richard Wagner, had different lifestyles,” said scratch, “on the one Hand, he was an Anarchist, on the other hand, he wanted to materialize his work, the Canon. This contradiction comes most clearly in his Opera ‘Tannhäuser’ to advantage.” In the Opera it is an artist who breaks with the company’s standard, however, according to home, community, and love longs.
Neo Rauch supercooled backdrop is the real Sensation in the case of “Lohengrin”
Annual rituals and variations of it
Was overshadowed by the Premiere of a stage accident. He led the Russian soprano Ekaterina Gubanova had to give up the role of Venus to her compatriot Elena Zhidkova. Whether Gubanova occurs at the end of the season, is still uncertain.
A further four operas from already well-known productions in 2019 in the game plan: “Lohengrin”, in which the American Director Yuval leads Sharon directed against the backdrop of the artist Neo Rauch; here Christian Thielemann, the musical Director. “The mastersingers of Nuremberg” is directed by Barry Kosky, the most acclaimed production in Bayreuth, currently, the conductor Philippe Jordan. “Parsifal” (Director: Uwe Eric Berg, conductor: Semyon Bychkov) and “Tristan and Isolde” (Director: Katharina Wagner, conductor: Christian Thielemann) to run the program round.
The annual Ritual of the Live broadcast of the Premiere on the opening day in about 100 cinemas in the German-speaking countries and the staging of a children’s Opera now: this Time, the “Meistersinger” as in a Version for children between six and 12 years. For the Older courses in Conducting and Singing take place, and in the framework of the program “the discourse of Bayreuth, Germany” is there in addition to discussion rounds, a play about Siegfried Wagner, the former festival Director and son of composer and festival founder Richard Wagner.
“Lohengrin”, under the musical direction of Christian Thielmann, stage and costumes: Neo Rauch and Rosa Loy
With few exceptions, only works of Richard Wagner have been performed in the 143-year history of the Bayreuth festival. One of these exceptions: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which is rung on special occasions in the festival house. To 250. Anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in the year 2020 will be the case again: At the end of the season, the orchestra of the Bayreuth festival plays festival, Beethoven’s “Ninth” –and then in Bonn, at the suggestion of the Beethoven festival Director Nike Wagner, a cousin of Katharina Wagner.
Further information Katharina Wagner gave snacks final price: 2021 for the first time in the festival’s history, a woman in Bayreuth to conduct. Then The Flying Dutchman is on the Plan. The name of this Maestra, the game Director revealed. “Finally, I want you to come next year”, she decided pragmatically.