The Bayreuth Festival has announced a conductor change for its new Ring Cycle.

The company said, “to his greatest regret, Pietari Inkinen has to resign from conducting the new production of ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ for health reasons. A serious corona illness makes his participation in the important stage rehearsals with orchestra impossible. The festival management deeply regrets this and is looking forward to Pietari Inkinen’s Ring conducting next year.”

Bayreuth continued, “we are extremely grateful to Cornelius Meister for taking over the conducting of the new production of ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen.’

The conductor change has also resulted in Meister renouncing to leading a production of “Tristan und Isolde.” The festival said, “In order to be able to concentrate fully on the intensive final rehearsal period and the upcoming Ring cycles, the conducting of the new production ‘Tristan und Isolde’ will be taken over by Markus Poschner.

The Ring Cycle, which has been described as a Netflix series, will star such renowned artists as Egils Silins, Klaus Florian Vogt, Georg Zeppenfeld, Tomasz Konieczny, Lise Davidsen, Iréne Theorin, and Andreas Schager. The production opens on July 31.