© Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Siegfried 2019

News

01.07.2019
Welcome letter to the Bayreuth Festival 2019 from RWVI President Eggers
RWVI President Horst Eggers' has issued a welcome letter to the Bayreuth Festival to all RWVI members
Dear Presidents of Wagner Societies worldwide
Dear Wagner Friends

The 108th Bayreuth Festival will take place from 25 July to 28 August 2019 and the eyes of the opera world and of all Wagner lovers will turn once again to Bayreuth. 

On the eve of the opening of the Festival, a ceremonial event to commemorate the 100th birthday of Wolfgang Wagner will take place.  Wolfgang Wagner ran the Festival for 58 years, initially together with his brother Wieland and then alone for 42 years, following the untimely demise of his elder sibling.

The musical tributes will be performed by soloists and the Festpielorchester under the baton of Christian Thielemann. The commemoration speech will be given by Joan Holender, former long-standing Director of the Vienna State Opera.

This year's new production of "Tannhäuser" is eagerly awaited.  The direction is in the hands of Tobias Kratzer, who was named "Director of the Year" in 2018 for his interpretation of "Götterdämmerung" in Karlsruhe.

The Music Director is the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Valery Gergiev, who will be making his Bayreuth debut .

The 2019 Festival programme includes revivals of  Lohengrin and Meistersinger, along with Parsifal and Tristan, all of which were highly praised by the audience and the media last year.  The latter two works appear on the programme for the last time.

In Lohengrin there will be two more world-class Bayreuth debuts with Krassimira Stoyanova and Anna Netrebko, who will alternate in the role of Elsa!

If you can't come to Bayreuth this year, you can once again experience the premiere live on 25 July in selected cinemas*.

The International Richard Wagner Association wishes the Festival Management and the entire Festival ensemble, along with the Wagner Societies and all Wagnerians an exciting and successful festival season.

With warm greetings from Bayreuth

Horst Eggers
President

*only available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lisbon