“Wagnerians will miss the Bayreuth Festival this year due to the pandemic, but they can enjoy the master’s four works originally scheduled for this July and August via a series of virtual broadcasts,” writes Anthony Brown in Monday’s (7/20) Musical America (subscription required). “In a collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon’s recently launched online platform DG Stage, the Festival will offer Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, and two different iterations of Der Ring des Nibelungen—the legendary centenary production of 1976 by Patrice Chéreau conducted by Pierre Boulez and the 2013 staging by Frank Castorf later recorded under Marek Janowski’s baton. A stage director, conductor, or principal singer involved with the original production will introduce each presentation in a specially filmed segment. Among those offering introductions are Christian Thielemann, Marek Janowski, Barrie Kosky, Michael Volle, Philippe Jordan, Elena Zhidkova, Lise Davidsen, and Georg Zeppenfeld. ‘We are delighted to be able to collaborate with Deutsche Grammophon and present our full festival program online,’ announced Heinz-Dieter Sense, interim managing director of the Bayreuth Festival, in a press release.”
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