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| Image: Abu Dhabi Classics |
The world renowned Bayreuth Festival is set to make history on the international stage with a historic performance of Wagner’s famous 1870 opera Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), the second installment of the composer’s Teutonic four-opera Ring Cycle, which is scheduled to be held at the iconic Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the Undersecretary of the UAE’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) announced Friday.
The performance and it’s encore, scheduled for 30 January and 1 February 2019, respectively, will mark the first time in the much lauded festival’s 142 years that a staging will take place outside of Germany. Landing tickets for one of the summer season's 30 operatic performances held in the historic Bayreuth Festspielhaus theater remains a notoriously difficult feat: with an excess of 500,000 requests annually (for a venue that seats only 60,000), many Wagnerite hopefuls without an “in” can wait years – up to a decade is not unheard of – to score a seat in the theater designed by Wagner himself.
The landmark performance of Die Walküre, under the direction of great-grand daughter to the composer and present opera stage-director/co-director of the Bayreuth Festival, Katharina Wagner, will feature a cinematic montage related to Der Ring des Nibelungen during the performance, which will roll in real time, appearing on a screen set up behind the orchestra, in addition to the world premiere of a feature-length film, directed by Katherina, of The Valkyrie.
DCT Abu Dhabi Undersecretary Said Saif Saeed Ghobash underscored what a coup such a historic performance means to the UAE, and what the premiere international staging will offer the eastern hotspot:
“We have been working with Katharina Wagner for many years to bring this project to fruition, and it is truly unique. The Bayreuth Festival is coming to Abu Dhabi with a production reflecting its outstanding artistic quality and innovative vision which at the same time proves that Abu Dhabi is a platform for world-class cultural offerings.”
Die Walküre Abu Dhabi is funded under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Ticket prices range from AED 200 – AED 1195, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster and Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
Listen below to Siegmund's gorgeous aria "Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond," from Act I of Richard Wagner's Die Walküre (Jonas Kaufmann performs):
Further reading (external/internal links):
- Abu Dhabi Classic season (at The Magpie)
- at The National
- Located in NSW? Members of the International Association of Richard Wagner Societies are being given special access to advance bookings (hotel package + tickets) Contact information here
Internal links:
- history of Wagner's Bayreuth Festspielhaus, the Ring Cycle, on Unraveling Musical Myths
- Rose.
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