German Music Council criticizes Bayreuth savings
The German Music Council has sharply criticized planned cuts to the Bayreuth Festival Choir. "The German Music Council is calling on the management of the Bayreuth Festival to fight for the preservation of its traditional festival choir," said Secretary General Christian Höppner in a statement on Monday. "The planned reduction of this exceptional ensemble by 40 percent would be an indictment of this internationally renowned festival. Performing Wagner's operas in Bayreuth in future with a thinned-out choral sound would in no way do justice to the special nature of his music."
Last week, it was announced that the Richard Wagner Festival will have to make significant savings and is therefore planning severe cuts - including to the famous festival choir. The Association of German Opera and Dance Ensembles (VdO) had spoken of the threat of "job cuts". There are plans to reduce the number of chorus members by 40 percent from 134 to 80 in the coming year.
The VdO and choir board have been informed "that there will be a restructuring of the festival choir", the festival announced on Monday. In future, the choir will consist of a main choir and a special choir - "which means that the usual 134 choir members will continue to be heard in all exposed choral works".
According to the festival, the reason for the cost-cutting measures are "significant cost increases", which affect all opera houses. High energy costs, expensive materials and increased personnel costs "due to very high wage settlements in the public sector" are cited. "The additional financial requirement will amount to several million euros cumulatively in subsequent years," the Festival announced.
"The Festival management has a responsibility and is urgently called upon to use the great political and social support for the Bayreuth Festival in the interests of its choir to acquire sustainable and, if necessary, additional funding opportunities for this orchestra," demanded the Music Council. In doing so, it agreed with the demands of the VdO and the orchestra board, who had expressed "their incomprehension about the planned drastic cuts" and demanded "concrete figures and justifications for this decision" from the festival management. According to the festival, the planned savings affect "all departments and areas".
The German Music Council also voiced concern about the impact of these savings on the Bayreuth Festival Opera performances, stating that a reduced choir would not adequately represent Wagner's operatic music. The proposed reduction of the opera's choir by 40% has been criticized as a misstep for an internationally recognized festival, undermining its unique musical identity.
Source: www.dpa.com
