Festival - Arts Minister Blume on Bayreuth: "I expect excellence"
Bavaria's Minister of the Arts Markus Blume (CSU) expects Bayreuth Festival Director Katharina Wagner to come up with a convincing concept for the future. "I expect excellence, a bold concept and a clear vision for the Green Hill. After all, the high expectations placed on the Bayreuth Festival must always be redeemed artistically," the politician told the German Press Agency in Munich.
"The concept should show how Bayreuth can continue to set global standards in the contemporary exploration of Richard Wagner's work. And, of course, the aim must also be to further enhance its international reputation."
It will be decided in the new year whether the contract of Richard Wagner's great-granddaughter as director of the world-famous opera festival will be extended beyond 2025. According to Georg von Waldenfels, Head of the Festival's Board of Directors, Wagner is to present a concept for the period after 2026, on the basis of which a decision will then be made on whether to extend her contract. She herself had linked a further term of office to comprehensive, structural reforms on the Green Hill.
There will inevitably be major changes in the coming year - also because the Society of Friends of Bayreuth, as the fourth shareholder alongside the federal government, the Free State of Bavaria and the City of Bayreuth, will no longer be able to pay as much as before due to declining donation income. As a result, the shareholder shares in the Festspiel-GmbH will probably change.
"Our commitment stands: We want to contribute even more financially in the future and increase our shares," Blume told dpa. "I assume that the federal government will also join in and take on more responsibility alongside the Free State of Bavaria. We are pursuing the acquisition of more shareholder shares at full speed and talks are underway."
Bayreuth Festival structure
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- Markus Blume, the Arts Minister of Bavaria, expressed his expectation for Katharina Wagner, the Bayreuth Festival Director, to present a visionary concept for the future of the festival.
- Blume emphasized the need for excellence, boldness, and a clear vision in the exploration of Richard Wagner's work, stating that the festival must always meet high artistic expectations.
- The decision on extending Katharina Wagner's contract beyond 2025 will be made in the new year, contingent on her presenting a concept for the period after 2026.
- Wagner's contract extension is linked to comprehensive, structural reforms on the Green Hill, a fact she had previously mentioned.
- Major changes are expected at the festival due to financial constraints faced by the Society of Friends of Bayreuth, which will likely lead to adjustments in the Festspiel-GmbH shareholder shares.
- Bavaria's Minister of the Arts, Markus Blume, announced the state's intention to contribute more financially to the future of the Bayreuth Festival.
- Blume suggested that the federal government would also take on more responsibility alongside Bavaria in order to secure more shareholder shares for the Bayreuth Festival.
- The Bayreuth Festival, a world-renowned opera festival, is situated in the German state of Bavaria and operates under the artistic direction of Katharina Wagner.
- Both the federal government and Bavaria's CSU party have shown their commitment to maintaining the excellence and international reputation of the Bayreuth Festival in the future.
Source: www.stern.de
