Bayreuth Festival opens new worlds

Exotic worlds and climate catastrophes: American director Jay Scheib immerses the audience at the premiere of "Parsifal" at the Bayreuth Festival in different worlds. He manages that both on stage and virtually with the help of augmented reality glasses. The Bayreuth Festival is Germany's most important opera festival and it runs until August 28.

The people of Bayreuth have rarely experienced a festival opening like this: Instead of bright sunshine, there was a huge downpour. Like many other prominent guests, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer, had to enter the Festspielhaus by walking a sodden red carpet.

Besides former Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also attended the opening of the festival. Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth and Green Party Chairwoman Ricarda Lang were also among the political VIP guests. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who didn't attend last year, was also absent this year.

The Bayreuth Festival has long had a reputation for innovation, both in staging and an openness to technical experiments. For the first time, augmented reality has been used in an opera there. Director Jay Scheib supplemented the real stage space with digital images in his production of Wagner's opera "Parsifal."

Special augmented reality glasses allowed audience members to see both the stage set as well as digital avatars and objects in a virtual space. But due to the high cost of the glasses, they were provided to only 330 visitors at the festival hall, which has a seating capacity of 1,900. So, many guests complained that the glasses were only available in limited numbers.

Wagner's operas are usually about the redemption of man, whether through death, the love of a woman, or the deeds of a hero. In his final operatic work "Parsifal," it is a "simple fool" of the same name who frees humans from suffering by bringing a spear back to the Knights of the Holy Grail. Richard Wagner made use of the world of legends, as he had done in other operas.

Director Jay Scheib had symbols from the operatic worlds of Richard Wagner float in space, such as Parsifal's sword or charming female avatars. Lilies as a symbol of purity and innocence appeared but also dead trees. Later, the augemented reality glasses provided a glimpse into the future: Jagged rocks and weapons and the earth destroyed by climate catastrophes and wars.

Speaking to journalists, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (pictured above) indicated an openness to new forms and experiments on the opera stage. She said Jay Scheib's work with digital effects to expand the stage design was an interesting approach. "We also have to learn to deal with artificial intelligence in the future," she said, "but under supervision with strict rules."

With the slogan, "Children! Create something new!" inspired by a quote from Richard Wagner, the Bayreuth Festival opened with a major outdoor concert on the eve of its premiere. The program consisted of composers now considered to be ahead of their time or whose new ideas initially disturbed the music world. Among the works was the song "Dream On" by the rock band Aerosmith.

It's a tradition that Richard Wagner's granddaughter, Verena Lafferentz (1920-2019) knew from childhood: On the morning of the premiere, the festival choir gathers to sing at Wagner's grave, located in the garden of the Richard Wagner Museum. The festival choir consists of singers from many different countries, including Guatemala, Indonesia, South Korea, Israel and Iran.

As protected as the Holy Grail is Wagner's original manuscript of the "Parsifal" score. On the occasion of the new production, it's currently on display in the treasury of the Richard Wagner Museum. Wagner always wrote his scores in purple ink. The composer often gave scores to his patron, King Ludwig II, as thanks for his financial support. After Ludwig's death in 1886, many of them disappeared.

For newbies to the Bayreuth Festival, the Richard Wagner Museum offers small Q&A sessions covering topics such as the dress code, the length of the operas or getting around the festival grounds. This year, tickets are still available for the opera "Der Ring des Nibelungen." Festival director Katharina Wagner hopes to attract young people and those who are new to opera.