Wagner's great-granddaughter to stage composer's classic in Shanghai
Katharina Wagner, the great-granddaughter of German composer Richard Wagner, is in city to announce a three-year residency project with Shanghai Grand Theater.
Three of Wagner's operas, as well as their children's versions, will be performed in the city from 2025 to 2027.
Shot by Ma Yue. Edited by Ma Yue. Reported by Ma Yue. Subtitles by Ma Yue.
Katharina is the artistic director of the Bayreuther Festspiele (Bayreuther Festival), an annual music festival in Bayreuth, Germany, that showcases Wagner's opera performances.
Richard Wagner conceived the idea for such a festival in 1876. To this day, classical music and Wagner admirers from all over the world make pilgrimages to the city for this festival.
Katharina said she was impressed by Shanghai Grand Theater General Manager Zhang Xiaoding and Shanghai Opera House Director Xu Zhong when they visited her in Germany earlier this year.
At the Bayreuther Festival in Germany, performances are held in a specially created theater, the Festspielhaus.
"When choosing partners, I look for their professionalism and passion for art," she said. "If artists can communicate and understand each other well, then there will be no other obstacles."
Wagner's three operas, "Tristan and Isolde," "The Walküre," and "Tannh?user" will be staged at the Shanghai Grand Theater over the next three years, with the original cast, costume, and stage design from the Bayreuther Festival.
Among them. "Tristan and Isolde" has never gone on an international tour before; "The Walküre" is Wagner's most recognized piece; and "Tannh?user" is Wagner's personal favorite.
"Tristan and Isolde" will be staged in Shanghai in July.
The three operas were written at various times and have quite diverse styles. "Tristan and Isolde" will be the first to premiere in Shanghai in July of next year.
"Bayreuther Festival has the most authentic Wagner operas," said Shanghai Grand Theater's General Manager Zhang Xiaoding. "Wagner's opera has already established its fame in Shanghai. Tickets for our earlier performance, 'The Ring of the Nibelung' sold out quickly."
Zhang announced that the theater will run an artistic education program alongside the three-year project.
Katharina Wagner (third left) poses with her Chinese partners.
"Each of the three operas (to be performed in Shanghai) has a children's version," said Zhang. "We will stage these versions for younger audiences at a lower ticket price to help promote opera and its culture in Shanghai."
A children's version of an opera lasts a little more than an hour, Katharina said, whereas a regular opera performance can last three or four hours. In Germany, children's opera is used to supplement formal music education.
"Tristan and Isolde" is described as a dramatic and poetic work.
According to Zhang, children's opera will be a new genre for domestic audiences, new but meaningful.
"Much of Western opera is based on mythological stories. The shorter versions for children can improve the storyline and make it more accessible to children," she said.
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