(Credit: Enrico Nawrath) With “Götterdämmerung,” any chance of Valentin Schwarz giving an understandable meaning to his production went nowhere. For the first time in the tetralogy, Schwarz presented paranormal elements like the three Norns (represented as three faceless woman wearing sparkling costumes and makeup) or the transformation, thanks to the magic helmet, of Siegfried into Gunther for the last scene {…}
(Credit: Enrico Nawrath) And now we have entered the realm of the absurd. Those who read my reviews for “Das Rheingold” and “Die Walküre,” know that I was quite critical of director Valentin Schwarz’s approach, which proved hostile to the original libretto in most of his “creative” choices. But this production of “Siegfried” somehow managed to push beyond those limits {…}
(Credit: Enrico Nawrath) Controversy was in full force as the second run of performances of the Bayreuth’s “Ring des Nibelungen” kicked off on August 10. Conductor Cornelius Meister had to step in on very short notice to replace a sick colleague. Tomas Konieczny, who sang Wotan, fell on the set in the second act of “Die Walküre” and had to {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced a cast change for the premiere of “Götterdämmerung” on August 5, 2022. The company said, “To his greatest regret, Stephen Gould has to cancel his participation as Siegfried in the premiere of ‘Götterdämmerung’ due to illness. The festival management would like to thank Clay Hilley, who will also take on the role today.” Hilley has {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has confirmed that Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny will perform in the opening night of “Siegfried.” The company said, “After yesterday’s stage accident, Tomasz Konieczny is on the road to recovery and will sing the Wanderer as planned for tomorrow’s premiere of ‘Siegfried.’ We would like to take this opportunity to expressly thank Michael Kupfer-Radecky, who brilliantly saved {…}
On July 25, the Bayreuth Festival opens with a production of “Tristan und Isolde.” The new production will be directed by Roland Schwab and will star some of the great Wagnerians in the world. Among the stars is Catherine Foster, who is bringing her acclaimed Isolde to the Bayreuth stage for the very first time. Foster made her debut at {…}
Deutsche Grammophon has announced that it will once again be the exclusive international media partner of the Bayreuth Festival 2022. The company noted that it will expand its longstanding partnership as it will build on the benchmark standards of online streaming that the partnership has set in the last two years. Deutsche Grammophon will record Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle tetralogy {…}
Allegations of sexual harassment have surfaced at the Bayreuth Festival days before the opening of the season. The Bavarian daily Nordbayerischer Kurier reported the news revealing physical assaults on women, insults, and sexist remarks. Among the women who spoke out was festival director, Katharina Wagner who confirmed that she had been touched on the breast. Other female employees told the paper {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced its 2023 season. The season will open with Pablo Heras-Casado conducting a new production of “Parsifal” with Joseph Calleja making his role debut in the title role, Ekaterina Semenchuk as Kundry, and Georg Zeppenfeld as Gurnemanz. The company also noted that “Tannhäuser” will be conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann. Meanwhile, the company announced that it will {…}
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 {…}
Opera Magazine is reporting that COVID cases are on the rise at the Bayreuth Festival. The publication is reporting that “among the high number of COVID cases hitting artists and staff at Bayreuth’s Festival include Ring Cycle conductor Pietari Inkinen, who is isolating.” As a result, Cornelius Meister, who is already conducting the new “Tristan und Isolde,” is currently rehearsing {…}