Richard Wagner Festspiele - Bayreuth Festspiele sold out again
Few days after the start of the opera spectacle on the Green Hill, the Bayreuth Festival reports a full house. They are "completely sold out", said Festspiel-Speaker Hubertus Herrmann to the German Press Agency. Before the start of the festivals on a Thursday, there were still tickets for a performance of the partly virtual "Parsifal" on August 14th. These are now reportedly gone. In addition, the demand for the approximately 330 special glasses necessary to see the virtual part of the performance was also greater than the offer.
Free places for the controversial "Ring" in 2023
In the past year, there were headlines about the fact that the most exclusive opera event in Germany, which was always sold out and for which Wagner fans often had to pay for years of waiting time, had not sold all the tickets this time.
There were free places for the "Ring", all other performances were sold out. According to Festspiel-statements, the occupancy for the four-part opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" by Richard Wagner was on average 92%.
The "Ring" production by director Valentin Schwarz, which is known as the "Netflix Ring", is controversial. At its premiere in 2022, it was mercilessly booed by large parts of the audience. For Sunday evening, the revival of the first "Ring" part, "Das Rheingold", was scheduled on the program - with conductor Simone Young at the podium. It is the first time that a woman has conducted the "Ring" in Bayreuth.
Plans for 2026: "A special 'Ring' only in the Jubilee year"
In the coming year, the Schwarz-"Ring" is scheduled to be on the program for the last time after four seasons. According to Festspiel-Speaker Herrmann, there are other plans for the great jubilee year 2026, in which the festivals celebrate their 150th birthday and all the Richard Wagner operas in the repertoire, as well as the early work "Rienzi", are to be performed: "There will be a special 'Ring' only in the Jubilee year", he told the dpa. Details he did not reveal.
- Hubertus Herrmann, the Festspiel-Speaker from Germany, mentioned that the Bayreuth Festivals have completely sold out, as reported by the German Press Agency.
- The Bayreuth Festival in Bavaria is renowned as the most exclusive opera event in Germany, with Wagner fans often waiting for years to secure tickets.
- Interestingly, there were free places available for the controversial "Ring" in 2023, despite all other performances being sold out.
- In 2022, the 'Netflix Ring' production, directed by Valentin Schwarz, was met with harsh criticism during its premiere by a significant portion of the audience in Bayreuth's Opér.
- Festspiel-Speaker Herrmann revealed that in the jubilee year 2026, when Bayreuth Festivals celebrate their 150th birthday, there will be a unique 'Ring' production only, with all Richard Wagner operas and early works like "Rienzi" being performed.
