150 Jahre musste „Rienzi“ auf sein Bayreuth-Debüt warten. Nun trifft Wagners frühe Grand Opéra auf Fake News, Macht und Massenverführung – musikalisch überwältigend mit Andreas Schager und Nathalie Stutzmann, szenisch zwischen Aktualität und Bilderflut. Vor Wagner war eben schon Wagner.
Category: Aus dem Deutschen Opernland
There was Wagner Before Wagner
It took 150 years for Rienzi to make its Bayreuth debut. Now Wagner’s early grand opéra meets fake news, power and mass manipulation – musically overwhelming with Andreas Schager and Nathalie Stutzmann, theatrically caught between contemporary relevance and visual overload. Before Wagner, there was already Wagner.
190 Voices – One Breath
Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” was performed by C.H.O.I.R. 2026 and the Era Nova Orchestra at Ravensburg’s Liebfrauenkirche, showcasing 190 young singers from eleven countries. Under Michael Alber’s direction, the choir exhibited impressive cohesion and quality. The event emphasized music’s relevance amidst current global conflicts, serving as a poignant reminder of loss and hope.
190 Stimmen – und doch ein gemeinsamer Atem
Am 16. August 2026 führte der Festivalchor C.H.O.I.R. 2026 mit rund 190 jungen Sängerinnen und Sängern Verdis Messa da Requiem in Ravensburg auf. Unter der Leitung von Michael Alber beeindruckte das Ensemble durch bemerkenswerte Geschlossenheit und hohe musikalische Qualität. Zugleich gewann das Werk angesichts der aktuellen kriegerischen Konflikte eine besondere Gegenwärtigkeit: Unterschiedliche Stimmen vereinten sich zu einem eindrucksvollen musikalischen Erlebnis.
Cultivating Talents and Community
Frank Hilbrich, one of Germany’s leading opera directors, discusses his move to Gelsenkirchen’s Musiktheater im Revier, his vision of opera as a “sanctuary of real-life connection,” and his commitment to nurturing diverse audiences and young talent. From his “old-school” approach to reinterpreting classics to innovative, cross-genre programming, Hilbrich outlines a roadmap for sustainable, socially engaged music theatre.
A Murderer of Women as a Tormented and Wonderfully Singing Hero
Otello is not evil, nor is he clinically ill. He is a man living in a system that offers him no support – an outsider who has never learned to cope with his emotions. His tragedy is this: he loves – but he does not trust.
Bayreuth Festival: Wagner’s Vision Enhanced: Parsifal in the Age of AR
Jay Scheib’s 2024 Bayreuth Festival production of Wagner’s Parsifal boldly merges tradition with augmented reality, pushing opera’s boundaries. Viewers wearing AR headsets are immersed in a fantastical world where virtual elements intertwine with live performance, transforming Wagner’s work into a multi-layered experience. While occasionally overwhelming, moments of poetic brilliance emerge. With an outstanding cast led by Andreas Schager and Ekaterina Gubanova, supported by Pablo Heras-Casado’s nuanced conducting, this Parsifal raises pivotal questions about opera’s future and technology’s role in classical performances, demonstrating the art form’s power to adapt and captivate in the digital age.
Bayreuth Festival: Family Feuds and Child Exploitation in Wagner’s Epic
Standout musical performances shine through controversial production Performance on August 20, 2024 By Oxana Arkaeva Production fotos by @Enrico Nawrath Read in Spanish The Bayreuth Festival’s productions of Wagner’s Das Rheingold have evolved significantly over time. Initially adhering to Wagner’s original vision under his family’s guidance, the festival saw a dramatic shift with Wieland Wagner’s “New Bayreuth”…
Semper Oper Dresden: The Jewish Woman from Toledo
Glanert skillfully utilized a plot that served as an ideal template for a deeply moving narrative, complemented by excellent composition. Guided by his visual interpretation of the text and drama, Glanert’s score features a palette of dark tones occasionally interrupted by vibrant red-yellow-orange splashes.
Free in wanting, free in doing, free in enjoying
“Free in wanting, free in doing, free in enjoying”. This production plays with the idea of blurring boundaries and the interplay between reality and fiction. Kratzer suggests that everything is theater, and everyone within the theater acts accordingly.
A brilliant conclusion of the Bayreuth 2023 “Ring” cycle
The “Ring” by Victor Schwarz is dedicated to demystifying its characters. Schwarz immerses us in a concrete, contemporary, profoundly human family drama populated by highly ambivalent characters.
Self-immolation and burning scores at the theatre in Bremen
The vocal ensemble, mainly composed of house members, presented good singing. Above all, Sarah-Jane Brandon as Prima Donna and Ariadne.
Corona and the Theatre. I-Witness report. There is the light at the end of cultural corona tunnel!
Oxana Arkaeva talks with Tatjana a.o. on the live interview on ArkNet YouTube about German Regietheater, the future of the profession of the stage director, the impact of the corona on the theatres, and the prognosis of soon reopening of the theatres in Germany that came true.
Corona and culture. Contemporary on-site eyewitness’s report
When the time will come, and we are allowed to reopen, we would have to decide whether it is still economically reasonable for us to bring out the production we have planned or just let the “Orfeo” seen only by a few, to perform. We have already planned a long-term strategy. We have to make an essential decision, whether we want to play in front of 50 people, or whether we will be closed again. I don’t think anyone can answer this question at the moment. In terms of the audience, I’m less worried. People will come back, as they will be very much hungry for live music and performance.
Corona and Culture. 10 Questions for Jörg Löwer
Interview with Jörg Löwer, the President of the Union of German Stage Members in Germany. Foto: Jörg Löwer. @Peter Vogel. By Oxana Arkaeva Following two previous interviews with Rolf Bolwin, a former Managing Director of the German Theater Association – Federal Association of German Theater and Orchestra and Kay Metzger, the intendant of the theater in Ulm, this…
Corona and the Opera: 10 questions for Kay Metzger
Interview with Kay Metzger Intendant at the Theater Ulm, Germany 27. Juli 2020 Read in Spanish Stage director and Intendant Kay Metzger was born in Kiel in 1960. He grew up in Bonn and Mannheim and studied theater science in Munich. There he began his career as an assistant to acclaimed German stage director August…
Singers, Staging, Orchestra 