© Bayreuth Festival
As its 112th edition draws to a close, the Bayreuth Festival 2025 reveals its programme: a new production of Die Meistersinger by Matthias Davids, the return of Christian Thielemann to conduct Lohengrin, and revivals of Tristan und Isolde by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson, Parsifal by Jay Scheib and Valentin Schwarz's Ring conducted by Simone Young.
The 112th edition of the Bayreuth Festival has just come to an end and it can boast a return of the public: unlike last year, the thirty performances of this 2024 edition were sold out, with a total of over 58,000 spectators this year - in addition to the 15,000 visitors who climbed the 'Sacred Hill' to attend the Festival's (free) open-air concerts. And while Bayreuth is sometimes accused of having difficulty renewing its audience, the festival's organisers point to the popularity of the Wagner for Children programme, which offers an annual production of a Wagner opera adapted for young audiences. For its fifteenth edition, the ten performances of The Flying Dutchman were also sold out, attracting some 2,000 young spectators - as many future Wagnerians.
As usual, the end of one season is accompanied by the announcement of the programme for the next. Katharina Wagner had already sketched out the programme for the 113th Bayreuth Festival. This programme has now been confirmed and completed.
A new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
In 2025, the Bayreuth Festival will continue with its open-air concerts (on 24 and 30 July) - the programme will be announced at a later date. However, the Festival will officially open on 25 July 2025 with a new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, under the musical direction of Daniele Gatti and the stage direction of Matthias Davids - artistic director of the Landestheater Linz and winner of several awards, notably for his work at Vienna's delightful Volksoper. The cast includes Georg Zeppenfeld as Hans Sachs, Michael Spyres as Walther von Stolzing and Christina Nilsson as Eva.
Several revivals complete the programme - clearly designed to pique the curiosity of Wagner fans. This year's new production of Tristan and Isolde by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson was well received by the critics and will be revived next year for five performances, once again with Andreas Schager and Camilla Nylund in the leading roles. The Festival will also revive Parsifal, directed by Jay Scheib and conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, from 28 July to 24 August, with Elīna Garanča as Kundry and Andreas Schager in the title role.
Christian Thielemann returns to Bayreuth
Among the revivals at this 113th edition, the return of Yuval Sharon's Lohengrin, first performed in 2018, will undoubtedly be the event of the year. The production has been critically acclaimed, Piotr Beczała has been cast in the title role, but above all it marks the return of Christian Thielemann to the pit of the Festspielhaus. The conductor was one of Bayreuth's leading figures for many years before Katharina Wagner brought in other conductors. Until a few years ago, many Bayreuth enthusiasts reproached her for this. Today, the musical quality of Bayreuth's 'new' (female) conductors is unanimously acknowledged (notably Nathalie Stützmann in Tannhäuser since last year, and Simone Young, who made her Bayreuth debut in the Ring this year), relations between Katharina Wagner and Christian Thielemann have clearly calmed down, and the conductor is back on the Sacred Hill for four performances. This will undoubtedly be an event for Wagner fans.
Finally, the return of Valentin Schwarz's Ring (not always well received at its premiere, but which seems to be improving with time), once again conducted by Simone Young. The 2025 edition of the Bayreuth Festival will offer two cycles (starting on 26 July, then 15 August), before staging a new Ring of the Nibelung in 2026 to mark the festival's 150th anniversary. The name of the director of this next Ring has not yet been announced. While we wait to find out, the detailed programme for the 2025 edition of the Bayreuth Festival is available here.
free translation of our article first published in French
the 28 of August, 2024 | Print
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