Bayreuth opera festival is the oldest of summer festivals in Germany. This is a festival that was conceived by the greatest composer of all times, Richard Wagner, to promote his works and to tide over his financial crisis. At this time he had broken away from his then patron King Ludwig II. He was exiled from Munich for this reason and decided to find another scene of action for himself.

So he reached Bayreuth, a small town in Bavaria. He had already sold the performing rights of his works in many parts of the country in order to solve his financial problems. Bayreuth was not one of those areas and it had, at that time, a very functional opera house. But Wagner found it inadequate for his needs and very different from his own ideas. So he had to work extremely hard to finance a new opera house. At last with the reluctant help of his former patron King Ludwig II he built the opera house of his dreams.

The first season of the Bayreuth opera festival was opened in 1876 at this venue with the performance of Wagner’s work, Das Rheingold. A number of dignitaries and VIPs attended the performance and they were all immensely impressed. The event was so remarkable that the opera lovers of those days evaluated the event as one which will be remembered for generations to come. Even if the festival was an aesthetic success it did not succeed financially.

After going through innumerable number of ups and downs, the Bayreuth opera festival has become a world renowned opera event that attracts a lot of people all over the world. It has acquired much of an elevated status that Bayreuth has become the summer destination of the opera lovers of the world. The number of viewers often exceeds the available tickets. That means if you want to attend the festival, you may have to wait years for the ticket. But it is worth the while!

The Bayreuth opera festival is considered to be an event with the characteristic features of the German culture and tradition. The Germans are so much emotionally attached to the Wagner’s works and production techniques that the people who tried to modernize the event had to face strong antagonism from them, at first. All the same, after passing through many years, directors and administers, Bayreuth opera festival has acquired many modern techniques and features at present. This endears the event to its modern audiences

The modernism in the event allows its directors and designers great freedom with their techniques. Their imagination can now explore many unfrequented paths to produce Wagner’s classical works in new forms. This digression from the orthodox ways has started as early as 1951, when the festival restarted after the Second World War. The Bayreuth opera festival is a platform for the performance of the 13 original compositions of Richard Wagner. Every year, the performances are put up by the best professional available. Now it has become Germany’s social and cultural hallmark.

by Marina Chernyak