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Wagner's Ring - an alternative version by Stefan Kaminski

Kaminski ON AIR is a Live-Theater-Performance-Format, that appears wild, audiophile, funny and tragic at the same time. A mixture between One Man-Theater + Band-Chemistry + Radioplay-Performance. Stefan Kaminski uses well-known sujets or stories in order to deform and mix them up with other influences of storytelling (other shows: ” KONG!” or “It Came from above”). Digging deep into Wagners RING was the first step into a World-Drama – it’s a great playground for Stefan Kaminski – he metamorphs into all the figures, creating atmospheres and soundtracks with his musicians, that play very special instruments (Glass-Harp, E-Cello) or play good old instruments in a different way in order to reinvent Wagners musical landscapes. You'll will find musical motives of the original, you will even remember the lines out of the libretto – but all in all it’s the good old story, told with passion, but in a modern, young and alternative way. Kaminski ON AIR will be on tour with Rheingold

Peter Hofmann: Geschichten aus einem bewegten Sängerleben

Peter Hofmann: Geschichten aus einem bewegten Sängerleben consists of 25 stories from Peter Hofmann's life. The book is written by his brother Fritz, who was Peter Hofmann 's manager for more than 20 years. In the stories we hear about Hofmann's encounters with great personalities like Herbert von Karajan , co-founder of Sony Akio Morita , Leonard Bernstein , Wolfgang Wagner and many more. Hofmann's experiences at the Bayreuth Festival played an important role in Peter Hofmann's life, and this is reflected in the book. 184 pages with more than 50 photos. The price is 18,95 Euros. You can buy it from the publisher Buch & Kunstverlag Oberpfalz or from Amazon.de

Syberberg's Parsifal re-released on DVD

Hans-Jürgen Syberberg's Parsifal film has now been re-released on DVD. It can also be downloaded or streamed from Filmgalerie451's web site . The DVD costs 24,90 €     Download     4,90 €     Stream     2,90 € The DVD is not available on Amazon.com (yet?)

Richard Wagner - The Sorcerer of Bayreuth

Barry Millington, a leading expert on Wagner, tackles the issues and controversies surrounding Wagner's life in a new book, " Richard Wagner - The Sorcerer of Bayreuth ". Millington is drawing on recent scholarship and presents them in a new light. It is a mark of how Wagner has entered the popular imagination that his reputation as an incorrigible egoist, a philanderer, an unscrupulous wife-stealer and an anti-Semite has come to define him. Yet this one-dimensional cartoon image of the man masks a more honest and complex portrait. The US title is " The Sorcerer of Bayreuth: Richard Wagner, his Work and his World "

Das Rheingold at Bayreuth 2013 - tickets available

Tickets for the performance of Das Rheingold on 10 August 2013 in the new production by Frank Castorf (conducted by Kirill Petrenko) will be offered and sold for the first time exclusively online through Bayreuther Festspiele. There is no order form to fill out, nor any pre-bookings or other reservations. Tickets are sold first come, first served – without year-long waiting periods. Starting from the 10th October 2012, 18.00 CET , anyone who is interested can order up to 4 tickets in the price category they desire online while they are still available. For more information, please click here .

Syberberg's Parsifal Free Stream on 11 August

Hans Jürgen Syberberg's film version of Parsifal is available to watch for free on 11 August on Filmgalerie451.de After that as fee required Stream or Download. The film will be released on DVD 28 September 2012 (english subtitles included).

Autograph sessions in Bayreuth 2012 (Signierstunden)

Autograph sessions in Bayreuth 2012 (in the book store called "Markgrafen-Buchhandlung") Saturday, 04. August, 12.00 Christian Thielemann (Dirigent Der fliegende Holländer und Tannhäuser)  Wednesday, 08. August, 11.30 Michelle Breedt (Brangäne) und Iréne Theorin (Isolde)  Wednesday, 08. August, 12.00 Ralf Lukas (Melot) und Clemens Bieber (Junger Seemann)  Thursday, 09.August, 11.00 Samuel Youn (Der Holländer, Heerrufer) und Wilhelm Schwinghammer (König Heinrich)  Thursday, 09. August, 12.00 Annette Dasch (Elsa) und Klaus Florian Vogt (Lohengrin)  Saturday, 11. August, 12.00 Andris Nelsons (Dirigent Lohengrin)  Saturday, 11. August, 2. Pause Parsifal (ca. 21.00) Klingsors Zaubermädchen (At the Festspielhaus) Monday, 13. August, 11.00 Stefan Heibach, Willem Van der Heyden, Rainer Zaun, Christian Tschelebiew (Die vier Edlen) Monday, 13. August, 12.00 Adrianne Pieczonka (Senta) Tuesday, 14. August, 12.00 Klaus Florian Vogt (Lohengrin) Thursday, 16. August, 11.

Bayreuther Festspiele 2012 Broadcasts from Bayerische Rundfunk

25 July 17:05 CET Der Fliegende Holländer (live) 28 July 15:57 CET Tannhäuser (live) 4 August 18:05 CET Tristan und Isolde (recorded 26 July) 7 August 18:05 CET Lohengrin (recorded 27 July) 11. August 18:05 Parsifal (recorded 29 July) Bayerische Rundfunk: http://www.br.de/radio/br-klassik/index.html Stefan Herheim's acclaimed production of Parsifal under the musical direction of star conductor Philippe Jordan at the 2012 Bayreuth Festival will be screened live in HD at cinemas in Germany and in a few other countries. Later the production will be released on DVD/Blu-ray. More info at http://www.wagner-im-kino.de/

A Dangerous Method - Howard Shore meets Richard Wagner

A Dangerous Method is directed by David Cronenberg with music composed by award-winning composer Howard Shore . In addition to Shores original music the soundtrack contains his adaption of several Richard Wagner motifs, as well as a full adaption of Siegfried Idyll (the complete version played by Lang Lang is available on the soundtrack CD ).

Semperoper Dresden 2013

Semperoper Dresden will perform a series of Richard Wagner operas and concerts during 2013, celebrating Wagner's 200th birthday. In this festive year Semperoper Dresden intend to shine a light on Wagner’s time in Dresden, when, as Kapellmeister to the Court Opera, he wrote many of his most famous works. Our audiences in 2013 can expect a new Fliegende Holländer as well as premieres of Halévy’s La Juive and Spontini’s La Vestale , two works which Wagner greatly admired and conducted in Dresden. His Liebesmahl der Apostel will also return to the place of its original premiere, the Frauenkirche. Together with many other cultural institutions in the city, the Semperoper is contributing to a diverse programme of events which will trace Wagner’s footsteps through Saxony. For Semperoper Dresden's Wagner programme, see the Wagner Calendar on Wagneropera.net

Tristan and Isolde opens the Baltic Sea Festival

Tristan and Isolde with Esa-Pekka Salonen opens the Baltic Sea Festival 10 years anniversary – a spectacular multimedia version by video artist Bill Viola and director Peter Sellars. This exceptional performance will take place at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, August 24 at 18:00. Performed by: Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen Soloists: Tristan: Ben Heppner Isolde: Violeta Urmana Marke: Matti Salminen Brangäne: Michele de Young Kurwenal: Jukka Rasilainen Melot: Waltteri Torikka Junger Seeman/Ein Hirte: Tuomas Katajala Ein Steuerman: Arttu Kataja Tickets: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=3985#gotoebiljett390 The video of Tristan und Isolde was produced by Bill Viola Studio in collaboration with the National Opera, Paris; the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association; the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; the James Cohan Gallery, New York; Haunch of Venison, London.

Stephen Langridge's new Lohengrin in Stockholm

Micheal Weinius; Johan Edholm; Emma Vetter. Photo: Alexander Kenney Kungliga Operan Through the years, the Royal Swedish Opera has fostered a line of world-class Wagner singers (Birgit Nilsson, Gösta Winbergh, Nina Stemme and Katarina Dalayman, etc). This time two younger generation singers, who already have entered on international careers, perform the parts of Lohengrin and Elsa. Lohengrin is Michael Weinius, first prize winner of the prestigious Seattle Opera International Wagner competition in 2008, while Emma Vetter, who has won the Wagner competition Neue Stimmen, sings Elsa. König Heinrich: Matthew Best. Conductor: Alan Gilbert Stage Director: Stephen Langridge Lohengrin: Michael Weinius Elsa: Emma Vetter Telramund: Johan Edholm Ortrud: Lena Nordin König Heinrich: Matthew Best Herald: Gunnar Lundberg Performances 11, 13, 16, 20, 23, 28 April. 2, 5, 8 May. More Wagner performances on Wagneropera.net

Met's "Ring" Cycle in Movie Theaters

All 4 installments of the Met's "Ring" cycle will be shown in movie theaters around the world. In the US and Canada, the cycle begins May 9. Dates vary in other countries. The Metropolitan Opera will present worldwide movie theater screenings of Robert Lepage’s new production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, as well as Wagner’s Dream, a new documentary chronicling the creation of this ambitious new staging . In the United States and Canada, the series will begin 7 May 2012 with a screening of the documentary, directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, and continue on 9 May with Das Rheingold, the first opera in the cycle. The entire four-part Ring cycle and documentary will be screened in many countries this spring and summer. Tickets go on sale in the U.S. on Friday, March 30 and in Canada on Friday, April 6. To order tickets or get more information on screening times and locations, please visit www.metopera.org/liveinhd. Wagner’s Dream A documentary b

Keith Warner stages new Parsifal in Copenhagen

The Royal Danish Opera presents a new Parsifal production, directed by Keith Warner Director: Keith Warner Set designer: Es Devlin Costume designer: Jorge Jara Lighting designer: Davy Cunningham Choreographer: Karl Schreiner Dramaturge: Barry Millington Conductor Hartmut Haenchen Stig Fogh Andersen, Parsifal Johnny van Hal, Parsifal Stephen Milling, Gurnemanz John Lundgren, Amfortas Randi Stene, Kundry Tina Kiberg, Kundry Harry Peeters, Klingsor Sten Byriel, Titurel Bengt-Ola Morgny, 1. grail knight Bo Anker Hansen, 2. grail knight Sine Bundgaard, An esquire/ Flower maiden Silja Schindler, An esquire/flower maiden Verena Gunz, An esquire / Flower maiden Bo Kristian Jensen, An esquire Gert Henning-Jensen, An esquire Inger Dam-Jensen, Flower maiden Anne Margrethe Dahl, Flower maiden Djina Mai-Mai, Flower maiden Hanne Fischer, Flower maiden/ A voice from above Dates Monday 26.03.2012 Wednesday 11.04.2012 Saturday 14.04.2012 Wednesday 18.04.2012 Sund

ENO’s new Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman opens at the London Coliseum on 28 April for 7 performances – 28 April & May 1, 12, 16, 18 and 23 at 7.30pm and May 5 at 6.30pm. Director Jonathan Kent and ENO’s Music Director Edward Gardner work together on their first Wagner opera, The Flying Dutchman. Following ENO’s production of Parsifal in 2011, director Jonathan Kent and ENO’s Music Director Edward Gardner work together on their first Wagner opera, The Flying Dutchman.  One of Wagner’s earliest operas to feature the theme of redemption through death, ENO’s new production of The Flying Dutchman builds on the critical success of 2011’s Parsifal – “a staging that is as good as any Wagner seen in London in the last 20 years” ( The Guardian ) – highlighting ENO’s commitment to produce highly theatrical world-class opera. ENO’s production of The Flying Dutchman is the first Wagner opera for both director Jonathan Kent and conductor, ENO’s Music Director, Edward Gardner.  Jonathan Kent, a f

Opera Australia presents Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) at the Arts Centre in 2013

In 2013 Opera Australia presents Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) at the Arts Centre, Melbourne. 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Richard Wagner. So, during November and December 2013, Opera Australia will perform three complete cycles of the four mighty operas which make up his epic vision. Director Neil Armfield and conductor Richard Mills lead this production, supported by film and theatre designer Robert Cousins. The international cast includes English soprano Susan Bullock as Brünnhilde , Finnish bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo as Wotan, American Heldentenor Gary Lehman as Siegfried and Australian Helden baritone John Wegner as Alberich . Further casting details will be announced over the coming months. Tickets for The Melbourne Ring Cycle will go on sale later in 2012.

New issue of The Wagner Journal released

A new issue of The Wagner Journal is out. Essays include: David Conway on "Jews, Music and Wagner" Tash Siddiqui on the 1929 Krolloper production of Der fliegende Holländer: "Flying the republican colours" Arnold Whittall on "The Giants and the Ring". Reviews Met’s Siegfried Covent Garden’s Meistersinger Paris Tannhäuser DVDs, Blurays and CDs Copenhagen Tannhäuser Marek Janowski and the start of a complete cycle of Wagner’s major works The Wagner Journal is a periodical that seeks to examine Wagner and his works from a variety of perspectives – musicological, historical, literary, philosophical and political – and to illuminate the unique appeal of this endlessly fascinating composer. The journal aims to bring the questions surrounding the theory and practice of staging and performing Wagner to a wider audience, in that way furthering our understanding of his operas as theatre. The Wagner Journal appears three times a year (March, July and

Harry Kupfer's Parsifal production soon to be released on DVD

The long awaited Parsifal production from 1992 by Harry Kupfer will be released in March by EuroArts. This production marked Daniel Barenboim ’s appointment as the artistic director of the Berlin State Opera. The cast is made up of the finest Wagnerian singers of the period, all of whom enjoyed substantial international careers. All the principle singers - Poul Elming , Falk Struckmann , John Tomlinson , Waltraud Meier , Günter von Kannen and Fritz Hübner celebrated successful achievements at the Bayreuth Festival around the time of this production. Parsifal: Poul Elming; Amfortas: Falk Struckmann; Gurnemanz: John Tomlinson; Kundry: Waltraud Meier; Klingsor: Günter von Kannen; Titurel: Fritz Hübner Flowermaidens: Carola Höhn, Brigitte Eisenfeld, Borjana Mateewa, Carola Nossek, Laura Aikin, Elvira Dreßen; Knights: Peter Bindszus, Gerd Wolf; Squires: Peter Menzel, Andreas Schmidt, Elvira Dreßen, Efrat Ben-Nun; Alto: Rosemarie Lang Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Daniel Bare

Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music’s Wagner Intensive expands to 10 days of training

In its second year, the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music’s Wagner Intensive, a program created to help launch the careers of singers exploring the Wagnerian repertoire, will expand to 10 days of training. The Intensive will be held from Wednesday, July 18 to Saturday July 28, 2012 in the newly renovated B-W Conservatory of Music facility. Top Wagner singers and teachers Jane Eaglen and Timothy Mussard will lead the Intensive as co-artistic directors. Mature singers who are exploring the Wagnerian repertoire are encouraged to submit an audition by April 1, 2012 for consideration. During ten days of intensive training, singers will participate in private lessons, repertoire coachings, scene study, German language study, staging rehearsals, and master classes. In addition to instruction with Eaglen and Mussard, participants will interact with top Wagner coach / conductors Eric Weimer and William Vendice and guest master class artist Baritone Gordon Hawkins . Participants w

Leonard Bernstein: Tristan und Isolde, Vorspiel Act 1

A new production of Tristan und Isolde by the British director Daniel Slater will premiere in Oslo on Sunday. Wagneropera.net made a short interview with Slater about Tristan and Wagner, which you can read here: The creation of the self through love and death I am warming up for the event with one of my favourite conductors, Leonard Bernstein. Here's the prelude to Tristan, Act 1. Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde , Vorspiel Act 1, conducted by Leonard Bernstein Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. From the concerts in Herkulessal, Munich, used for the recording (now difficult to find). Do you like it or is it too slow?

The Tyrolean Festival Erl 2012

The Tyrolean Festival Erl 2012 will feature Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal and Tosca, as well as concerts, recitals etc. Read more on http://tiroler-festspiele.at Gustav Kuhn founded the Tyrolean Festival Erl in 1997. Erl is a small town with only 1500 inhabitants...

Helsinki Festival 2012: Esa-Pekka Salonen, Peter Sellars & Bill Viola: Tristan und Isolde

Helsinki Tristan und Isolde Helsinki Music Centre, concert hall August 2012: 18 + 21 Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen Visual artist: Bill Viola Artistic collaborator: Peter Sellars Tristan: Gary Lehman Isolde: Violeta Urmana König Marke: Matti Salminen Kurwenal: Jukka Rasilainen Also: Waltteri Torikka, Tuomas Katajala, Arttu Kataja Helsinki Festival Homepage See the Wagner Calendar for more Wagner productions 2012

Keith Warner to leave the Royal Danish Theatre due to devastating budget cuts

The budget cuts at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen continues to create havoc in the beautiful Danish capital: Now Keith Warner resigns in protest. Keith Warner announced at a staff meeting at the Opera House that he has been granted a release from his contract, which was to expire on 31 July 2014. As a consequence Jakub Hrůša, who has since October 2011 been acting artistic consultant for Keith Warner, has announced that he no longer wishes to assume the position as music director at the Royal Danish Theatre as of the summer of 2013. Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Opera, Keith Warner, states: “It is with immense sadness that I feel I must resign my post at the Royal Danish Opera. A combination of factors, made acute by the recent devastating budget cuts, has led me to feel that in the present circumstances, I am unable to realise my great dreams for the company. We part good friends. The talent of the performing company is beyond compare and the dedication of the

Washington National Opera: Washington premiere of the full “American Ring” in 2016

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced several new initiatives as part of a long-range plan to build on its tradition of artistic excellence, including the Washington premiere of Richard Wagner’s complete “American Ring” cycle and a multipart New American Works Project for young American composers and librettists. Additionally, WNO announced it will add a holiday opera to its season schedule and expand its programming to include performances in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater next season. The Opera has also committed to create at least one new production each season. “Washington National Opera is planning aggressively for our future seasons with a new confidence,” said Michael L. Mael, WNO Executive Director. “These initiatives are part of an even bolder artistic vision that builds on our successes while creating exciting performances for our audience as well as new opportunities for American artists.” WNO will present three complete cycles of Richard Wagner’s epic four