Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Les Maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), opéra en 3 actes
La Walkyrie (Die Walküre), opéra en 3 actes
Le Vaisseau fantôme (Der fliegende Holländer), opéra en 3 actes
Lohengrin, opéra en 3 actes
Tannhäuser, opéra en 3 actes
Tristan et Isolde (Tristan und Isolde), opéra en 3 actes

Franz Hawlata
Artur Korn
Michael Volle
Klaus Florian Vogt
Norbert Ernst
Michaela Kaune
Bayreuth Festival Orchestra & Chorus
Sebastian Weigle, direction
Katharina Wagner, mise en scène
(Les Maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg)

Linda Watson
Albert Dohmen
Edith Haller
Johan Botha
Bayreuth Festival Orchestra & Chorus
Christian Thielemann, direction
Tankred Dorst, mise en scène
(La Walkyrie)

Samuel Youn
Ricarda Merbeth
Franz-Josef Selig
Chœur et Orchestre du Festival de Bayreuth
Christian Thielemann, direction
Jan Philipp Gloger, mise en scène
(Le Vaisseau fantôme)

Georg Zeppenfeld
Klaus Florian Vogt
Annette Dasch
Jukka Rasilainen
Petra Lang
Samuel Youn
Chœur et orchestre du festival de Bayreuth
Andris Nelsons, direction
Hans Neuenfels, mise en scène
(Lohengrin)

Torsten Kerl
Camilla Nylund
Michelle Breedt
Markus Eiche
Kwangchul Youn
Lothar Odinius
Thomas Jesatko
Stefan Heibach
Rainer Zaun
Chœur et orchestre du Festival de Bayreuth
Axel Kober, direction
Sebastian Baumgarten, mise en scène
(Tannhäuser)

Robert Dean Smith
Iréne Theorin
Chœur et orchestre du Festival de Bayreuth
Peter Schneider, direction
Christoph Marthaler, mise en scène
(Tristan et Isolde)

Since its inception, Bayreuth has become the byword for innovative and daring productions. The six operas featured on this release are certainly no exception; showcasing the original sets, creative productions and outstanding singing that the opera house is famous for, they cement Bayreuth’s worldwide reputation for nurturing raw talent, constantly striving for innovation. Jan Philipp Gloger’s controversial production of Der fliegende Holländer is conducted by Christian Thielemann, ‘Germany’s most sought-after conductor’ (Daily Telegraph), while Axel Kober takes the helm in Sebastian Baumgarten’s thoughtprovoking production of Tannhäuser, which casts the opera as one giant experiment. Die Walküre stars up-and-coming singers Johan Botha and Edith Haller, both praised in the German press for their standout performances. The radical Tristan und Isolde sees Christoph Marthaler setting the romantic opera in a Communist-era reception room, unencumbered by the traditional lakes and forests, instead more like a psychodrama of the 1950s. Concluding the six operas is Katharina Wagner’s debut production: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the first ever live recording from the Festival, praised by Opera Canada for its ‘stunning theatrical spectacle’. Richard Wagner’s operas find their home at Bayreuth, and these six very different but equally compelling performances capture the spirit of the German composer perfectly.