Bavaria’s Minister of Art Markus Blume (CSU) calls for reforms at the Bayreuth Festival. “I’ll say it very clearly: there must be changes. Even a well-known festival has to keep up with the times in some places if it wants to be successful in the long term,” he said in an interview with the “Nordbayerisches Kurier” (Friday edition).
Blume does not consider what the festival could look like without Katharina Wagner at the helm, not even with a view to a possible extension of her contract as festival director, which expires in 2025. “I’m not speculating about Plan B if I’m hoping for Plan A. For me, Bayreuth and Wagner belong very closely together.”
Nevertheless, there must be changes, as Wagner had already called for. “I can very well imagine the festival in the future with Katharina Wagner at the artistic helm, but there must be a common understanding of sustainable structures on the Green Hill,” said Blume.
For the minister, the “Bayreuth myth” is closely linked to the family of the composer Richard Wagner, the great-grandfather of the festival director. “But at the same time it is also clear that when it comes to the artistic cast of the festival management, it is always about the excellence of the artistic concept,” said Blume. “There is no carte blanche, but the clear common understanding that the high expectations of the Bayreuth Festival have to be met again and again artistically. That is only possible with bold concepts and a clear vision.”
In the interview, the minister did not say exactly what should change from his point of view. However, he indicated that the Free State of Bavaria could take over the shares of the Friends of Bayreuth.
At the beginning of the year, the patrons’ association admitted that it would no longer be able to pay as much for the festival as before due to falling income. The Society of Friends of Bayreuth is currently an equal partner in the Festspiel-GmbH with the federal and state governments – that will probably change if the payment is lower.
“This is inevitably accompanied by a reduction in shares,” said Blume. “I can only speak for the Free State of Bavaria: We stand by the Bayreuth Festival. We see ourselves as one of the big shareholders, especially in the future, and I would very much like the federal government to help with the upcoming changes and take on greater responsibility alongside the Free State of Bavaria.”
Blume emphasized that he would like the federal government and Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) to be more involved in the discussion about the future of the festival: “The Bayreuth Festival is in the premier league of festivals and it will remain so in the future. We as a Free State are responsible for that. I would like Claudia Roth to make a similarly ardent plea.”
The Bayreuth Richard Wagner Festival begins on July 25th with a new production of “Parsifal” and ends on August 28th.
Information on the Bayreuth Parsifal interview by the Nordbayerischer Kurier
