The Bayreuth Festival is set to present Wagner’s “Rienzi” in 2026.

Katharina Wagner said in a text that she believes that “Rienzi” is now part of the canon even though Wagner himself had not found the opera worthy of Bayreuth. She said, “And I’m sure Richard Wagner, in his artistic restlessness, would have enjoyed it from today’s perspective.”

“Rienzi” made its debut in Oct. 20, 1842 and was Wagner’s third opera.

The Bayreuth Festival opens on July 24 and runs through August 28, 2023. This season the festival is set to open with “Parsifal” and will also showcase The Ring Cycle, “Tännhauser,” “Der Fliegende Holländer,” and “Tristan und Isolde.”