Revisiting the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth

This 1954 <i>Ring</i> production was a remake of Wieland Wagner's 1951 version. Joseph Keilberth conducted.

James Levine conducted John Tomlinson as Wotan and Hanna Schwarz as Fricka in a new production of <i>The Ring</i> for the 1994 Bayreuth Festival. The cycle was produced by Alfred Kirchner and Rosalie designed the scenery and costumes. This is the opening scene of the first opera in the cycle.

Stephen Gould is this year's <i>Siegfried</i>. His first performance was criticized for being weakened by his apparent nervousness on stage, but he pulled himself together by the third act, said critics.

Jürgen Flimm's new <i>Ring</i> production read the work as a parable about the struggle for political power. Giuseppe Sinopoli conducted and Erich Wonder created the stage design for what the <i>Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung</i> called a promising but deficient and "cramped update."

Pierre Boulez conducted the premiere of Christoph Schlingensief's <i>Parsifal</i> in 2005. His version of the opera, an allegory on the conflict between Christianity and paganism, is being performed again in 2006, this time with Adam Fischer in the pit. Daniel Angermayr and Thomas George created the stage design.

Scene four from this year's <i>Rhinegold</i>. Producer Tankred Dorst's concept parallels the human and mythological worlds in a contemporary setting.

The 1951 Wagner Festival was the first after World War Two and <i>The Ring</i> production that year laid the stylistic groundwork for a new Bayreuth. Herbert von Karajan conducted <i>The Ring</i> cycle and Wieland Wagner, who directed the festival with his brother Wolfgang, was responsible for the production and stage design of the four-opera set. <br><br><i>Siegfried</i>, shown here, is the third opera in the cycle. Bernd Aldenhoff played Siegfried (right) while Astrid Varnay took the part of Brünhilde.

Falk Struckmann's performance as the Wanderer was rewarded with positive reviews after the premier on July 29. <i>The Ring</i> cycle will be performed three times during the month-long festival.

The latest <i>Ring</i> production, by 80-year Tankred Dorst, opened on July 26. Christian Thielemann conducted and Frank Philipp Schlössmann completed the stage design. Compare this opening scene to the gallery photograph of the 1994 rendition by Alfred Kirchner.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (left), one of Germany's most famous 20th century voices, sang the part of Wolfram von Eschenbach in the 1961 production of <i>Tannhäuser</i>. Wieland Wagner (right) gave him a few tips during a rehearsal.

Nina Stemme played Isolde and Robert Dean Smith was Tristan in Christoph Marthaler's 2005 production of this tragic medieval love story. Anna Viebrock completed the stage design. <br><br>The <i>Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung</i> called the production a "downright flop" under the "unfermented" musical direction of Eiji Oue. Marthaler's rendition will be repeated six times at this year's festival, but with Peter Schneider in the pit.

From the second act of Philippe Arlaud's production of <i>Tannhäuser</i>, which premiered in 2003. Richard Wagner wrote the libretto to the opera himself, which was heavily influenced by German legends written by Ludwig Bechstein. Christian Thielemann, who is the musical director for <i>The Ring</i> this year, conducted <i>Tannhäuser</i> in 2003.

Wagner's story of love lost through mistrust was conducted by Antonio Pappano in 2005. Keith Warner's production, shown here, premiered in 1999. The stage designer was Stefanos Lazaridis.

Act three, scene three from <i>The Valkyrie</i> in Jürgen Flimm's dramatic 2000 rendition of <i>The Ring</i>.

A gala performance of <i>The Flying Dutchman</i> opened the 2006 Bayreuth Wagner Festival on July 25. Claus Guth produced Richard Wagner's operatic tale of a cursed sailor and his vessel in 2003. Christian Schmidt completed the stage design. Marc Albrecht conducted.