Around the Music Festival

The Bayreuth Festival in Germany has extended the contract of Katharina Wagner as general director until 2030. At the same time, however, it was also announced that starting in 2025, a new post of general manager will be created, with authority and responsibility for organizational and financial management, and that Wagner will focus on the “Artistic Directorship”.

According to the announcement, the decision is based on an agreement among the four shareholders of the festival: the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Bavaria, the City of Bayreuth, and the Friends of Bayreuth Festival.

The Friends of Bayreuth Festival have decided to reduce their shareholding from 29% to 15% after 2025, but it was also decided that the Federal Government and the State of Bavaria will take over the shares of the Friends of Bayreuth Festival, raising their respective shareholdings to 36%.

Katharina is now 45 years old. She is the daughter of the second wife of Wolfgang Wagner, who led the festival after the war, and the great-granddaughter of composer Richard Wagner.

She has taken over the running of the festival with her half-sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier since 2008, but has served as the festival’s general director alone since 2015.

However, as a director herself, she advocates “Reggie Theater,” which emphasizes staging. The sharp direction of the up-and-coming directors invited to the theater has caused some fans to turn away.

Also, It has affected ticket sales, which have been a global battle for the tickets. Last year, the capacity factor for all 31 performances was 97%, and some performances did not sell out, which was unthinkable before.

The 2024 Festival is in its third year of staging “The Ring of the Nibelung” directed by Valentin Schwarz, and the new production is “Tristan and Isolde. The new production of “Tristan and Isolde” will be directed by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson and conducted by Semyon Bychkov. The production will be joined by “Parsifal” conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, “Tannhäuser” conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann, and “The Flying Dutchman” conducted by Oksana Lyniv.

PHOTO：StMWK　/　Axel König