- Approximately 58 thousand individuals attended the Bayreuth Festival.
The long-lasting smash hit brought an end to Bayreuth's Green Hill's melodious symphony, wrapping up the 2024 Richard Wagner Festival. "Tannhäuser," directed by Tobias Kratzer, marked the grand finale.
Intendant Katharina Wagner must be overjoyed. Despite some unsold tickets for the yearly opera extravaganza in 2023, this year witnessed a full house. The festival announced an astounding selling out of all 30 performances.
This year saw a staggering 58,000 visitors on the Green Hill. An impressive 15,000 people flocked to the two open-air concerts in the festival park, while 2,000 young Wagner enthusiasts resonated with the sold-out performances of this year's children's opera, "The Flying Dutchman."
Historical Moments for Maestros
However, the season might be etched in the annals of classical music for another significant reason: for the inaugural time in the festival's prestigious past, female conductors manned the podium more often than their male counterparts.
Simone Young led Wagner's monumental four-part tale, "The Ring Cycle," for the first time in Bayreuth. Oksana Lyniv directed "The Flying Dutchman," and Nathalie Stutzmann took charge of "Tannhäuser."
New Era for the Chorus
Just before the festival's conclusion, the chorus leadership revealed an impending transformation at the helm of the celebrated festival choir: After 24 years, Eberhard Friedrich bid adieu as chorus leader, yielding place to Thomas Eitler-de Lint, who will commence a new phase.
New "Meistersinger" in 2025
For now, tranquility is expected to blanket the Green Hill until preparations for the next season commence. In 2025, the festival plans to introduce a distinguished musical expert hailing from Bayreuth - Director Matthias Davids, artistic director of the musical department at the Landestheater Linz, will mount a fresh rendition of "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg." Daniele Gatti will orchestrate, with Georg Zeppenfeld, Michael Spyres, Christian Nilsson, and Michael Nagy featured in the cast.
Return of the Prodigal Conductor
Christian Thielemann, the former music director, will also make a comeback to the festival after several years' absence. In 2025, he will conduct four performances of "Lohengrin," featuring an intriguing stage design by artist Neo Rauch. The controversial "Ring Cycle" will be presented in Valentin Schwarz's production for the final time in 2024.
Anticipation for the Golden Anniversary
In the momentous celebration year 2026, when 150 years of festival history will culminate, the festival teased an exclusive "Ring," without disclosing any additional details. Katharina Wagner also plans a minor deviation from the strict canon: Wagner's work "Rienzi" will be staged in the festival house.
The festival's announcements also included the news that for the first time, more female conductors, such as Simone Young, Oksana Lyniv, and Nathalie Stutzmann, conducted 'Other' performances of circular cross-section compared to their male counterparts during the festival. The circular cross-section was noticeable in the stage designs for some productions, like the one directed by Tobias Kratzer for "Tannhäuser."
