Battered Bayreuth rolls out three years at once

Battered Bayreuth rolls out three years at once

Opera

norman lebrecht

July 25, 2023

Under fire for slow ticket sales, Katharina Wagner has rolled out the highlights of the next three summers.

Semyon Bychkov will conduct Tristan next year and Daniele Gatti will take Tannhäuser in 2025, quelling murmurs about inferior maestros. Philippe Jordan will take over the Ring from Pietari Inkinen. No further dates have been set for the former music director Christian Thielemann.

In 2026, all 10 Wagner operas will be staged for the festival’s 150th anniversary, including Rienzi which has not been seen at Bayreuth before.

Comments

  • Graham Rowbotham says:

    If Rienzi is being included, doesn’t that make a total of 11 operas?

  • Zarathusa says:

    Don’t know about you but I can’t wait til the 2026 season! WOW! All 10 Wagner works in one cycle! This is the stuff that DREAMS are made of!!!

  • Marcello says:

    Gatti will conduct new Meistersinger in 2025 (not Tannhäuser) with Zeppenfeld and Spyres as Sachs and Stolzing. But as we know, things may change.

  • Paul Barte says:

    If I understand correctly, the 2026 Bayreuth season will include the ten operas of the “canon,” plus Rienzi–eleven in all. All told, Wagner wrote thirteen operas. The early trio–Die Feen, Das Liebesverbot and Rienzi–have, heretofore, not been staged at Bayreuth.

  • zayin says:

    Rienzi will be conducted by Riccardo Muti making his debut at Bayreuth.

  • J Barcelo says:

    Ok, sign me up for 2026. Where do I get tickets?

  • RW2013 says:

    Stutzmann and Inkinen haven’t conducted a note there yet, and are already out next year?!

  • La plus belle voix says:

    Wagner wrote no operas.

    • JR says:

      Drama or later referred as ‘Music-Drama’

    • Novagerio says:

      La plus belle voix: Die Feen, Das Liebesverbot, Rienzi, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin and Meistersingers are operas.
      The others are 1 Ballade, 5 Musikdramas and a 1 Bühnenweihfestspiel.

  • Gustavo says:

    I’ll attend all in 2026 and then follow Mickisch.

    • Seen and Heard says:

      Is that some sort of unnecessary reference to the late and much-missed (by many) Stefan Mickisch?

  • Peter Owen says:

    I was amazing to be able to hear yesterday’s Parsfal live on YouTube.

  • Player says:

    Bring back Thielemann! The true spirit of Bayreuth must endure. He could conduct the lot in 2026 and not break sweat….

  • Robert Holmén says:

    Back in the day, John Philip Sousa had to buy a ticket off an attendee just to see one act at Bayreuth.

  • Corno di Caccia says:

    At least they’re lining up some decent conductors, which is more than can be said about some of the non-entities conducting at this year’s Proms!

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