Richard Wagner Festivals - Bayreuth: New 'Meistersinger' - and Thielemann's Return
The Bayreuth Festival is bringing on a musical expert for the upcoming season: Director Matthias Davids, artistic head of the musical division at the Landestheater Linz, will stage a new production of "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" at the Richard Wagner Festspiele in 2025. "What's going on now?", he thought when Festival Director Katharina Wagner called him. But he welcomed challenges. "That's a project I'm sure I can be afraid of."
As previously announced, former music director Christian Thielemann is returning to the Festspiele after several years of absence. He will conduct "Lohengrin" with Neo Rauch's set design in 2025, a production that is to be revived.
For the jubilee year 2026, when 150 years of Festival history will be celebrated, Katharina Wagner plans a small deviation from the strict canon: Wagner's work "Rienzi" is to be performed at the Festspielhaus.
Beyond that, an expansion of the repertoire, as Culture Minister Claudia Roth (Greens) recently suggested, is essentially unthinkable. "That's not possible because it's part of the given canon," said Festspielsprecher Hubertus Herrmann. "That's what sets Bayreuth apart."
- Matthias Davids, excited about the opportunity, will be directing a new production of "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" in Music-rich Bavaria, specifically at the Bayreuth Festival in 2025.
- In the same year, renowned conductor Christian Thielemann will return to the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, conducting "Lohengrin" with Neo Rauch's set design, a revival of a previous production.
- Festival Director Katharina Wagner is planning a minor deviation from tradition for the jubilee year 2026, when she intends to stage Wagner's work "Rienzi" at the Festspielhaus in Bavaria.
- Hubertus Herrmann, the Festspielsprecher, confirmed that expanding the repertoire is not feasible for the Festspiele, as it would go against the traditional and historic canon that sets Bayreuth apart.
- Nuremberg, known for its rich history and festivals, will be the setting for Davids' new production, further enriching the cultural landscape of Germany, including the city of Linz and the region of Bavaria.
