New to the Green Hill? Tips for festival newcomers
Published: Sunday, Jul 21st 2024, 04:20
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A few clicks - and into the special world of the Bayreuth Festival. Online ticket sales now make it possible to buy tickets for the world-famous opera spectacle in the normal way and without having to wait for years. But then it really starts: What do you wear? How do you survive the heat? Where are the pitfalls? And what do you actually do in Bayreuth when you're not listening to opera? Here are a few answers for Festival newcomers before things get underway next Thursday (July 25):
Sitting in uncomfortable seats for hours on end - how do you put up with that?
A Wagner opera in Bayreuth is a challenge - especially for people who are not used to concentrating on a stage event for so long. "Once the selfie has been posted, it's a challenge for many people to enjoy the next few hours," says leisure researcher Ulrich Reinhardt.
Hardly any leisure activity therefore lasts longer than one and a half to two hours. "Then most people want a new stimulus and switch activities. The younger generation in particular gets bored relatively quickly, drifts off or loses patience and starts doing something else on the side. At an opera performance, you should get involved in the piece and not think about your next appointment, unanswered messages or weekend shopping for the entire duration."
His tips to make sure it works: "Don't go alone, ask ChatGPT beforehand what it's about and what you need to bear in mind, use breaks to recharge your batteries - and choose a seat on the edge, just in case."
What is the best way to get in the mood for several hours of Wagner?
"Bring time, be there an hour beforehand and get in the mood for the afternoon and evening," recommends festival spokesperson Hubertus Herrmann. "Good preparation is very important," says Sissy Thammer. She has directed the Bayreuth Festival of Young Artists for many years and is a regular guest on the Green Hill. Reading up on Wagner's life and work is recommended. And then: "Sit in, let the music take effect on you completely." Wagner's music is powerful and sensationally beautiful. There is no special introductory opera; you can't say that this or that work is particularly suitable for newcomers: "Some say that 'The Dutchman' is suitable because it is so short. But that's nonsense." The basic rule is: "Go and enjoy!"
The relevant literature offers a wide range of books on Wagner and the Festival, and the spectrum is enormous: biographical, political, musical. Of course, you can also buy the libretti to see Wagner's quite idiosyncratic language on paper ("Weia! Waga! Wave, you wave, walle to the cradle! Wagalaweia! Wallala weialaweia!"). In addition, a series of introductory lectures are offered in Bayreuth to help you find your way through the thicket of Wotan, Alberich, Siegfried and Sieglinde.
What do I wear?
First things first: things have become more relaxed in recent years. Of course, evening dresses and tuxedos are still very common. But men without bow ties and women in trouser suits or more casual summer dresses can also stroll around the Green Hill without hesitation. After several hours of performance, even the most beautiful hairstyle will be disheveled and the finest jacket wrinkled. So: stay relaxed. Or treat yourself to a shopping tour beforehand.
What do I do to combat the heat?
Put on shoes that you can get rid of quickly and inconspicuously when the lights go out in the Festspielhaus. This may be an olfactory challenge for the person sitting next to you, but it can save you from heat exhaustion. And by the second act at the latest, it no longer smells good in the Festspielhaus anyway.
For people with long hair: put it up! And men should get rid of their jackets as quickly as possible when they take their seats. If the heat still becomes unbearable, all you can do is dab off your sweat, wave your opera ticket or one of the souvenir fans and dream of the Kneipp pool behind the Festspielhaus, where heat-stricken visitors can stretch their heavy legs during the breaks - with their evening dress gathered up.
What can I eat and drink during the breaks?
4 p.m. to around 10 p.m., with two one-hour breaks in between - these are the key dates for most performances. Your stomach will be growling, the heat of the Festspielhaus requires water, lots of water. You can get refreshments at - admittedly exclusive prices - directly on the Green Hill. According to the local Bayreuth press, this year's offerings include a specially created "Tristan" doughnut or gold leaf liver cheese.
The more classic snack: the festival sausage. They come in a double pack in a roll and if you are quick and go straight to the sausage stand, you have a realistic chance of getting one before the fanfares call for the next act. The queue is sometimes very, very long.
Alternatively, you can walk a few steps down the festival hill to a somewhat hidden inn. Or you can stow provisions and water bottles in your car and have a picnic in the extensive festival park. The two large groups of audience members during the intervals: those who can and want to afford to toast an evening at the opera with champagne. And the others who make themselves comfortable on a picnic blanket or park bench and munch on homemade sandwiches. Long live variety - even when it comes to snacks.
Are there any no-goes?
Of course. One of them would be not to tip the nice woman in the ladies' toilet, who is in a good mood and, depending on the lighting in the individual cubicle, assigns a "shady spot" or a "place in the sun" and always has hygiene and cosmetic products and plasters to hand.
It is also unpopular if you are the last person to return to the Festspielhaus after each interval from a middle seat in the stalls and have to push your way past two dozen more punctual spectators while sweating. Even those who go to the opera with a cough have to expect annoyed looks.
And there is something else special about Wagner's last opera, "Parsifal", which was actually only supposed to be performed in Bayreuth and nowhere else: in Bayreuth, there is traditionally no clapping after the first act of "Parsifal" out of sheer emotion - although Wagner's alleged wish to forego applause was probably a misunderstanding. The newspaper "Die Welt" once aptly wrote about the silence after the first act: "Instead, there is a kind of minute's silence for Richard Wagner, whose death in 1883 many visitors have not yet come to terms with."
And what else do I do in Bayreuth apart from the performances?
If you still have the time and energy to do something else, you can of course take a short trip into the surrounding area: The Fichtelgebirge and Franconian Switzerland offer beautiful nature, hiking trails, beer gardens, outdoor pools, caves with ancient dripstones, castles - and recently even a gondola lift to the Ochsenkopf, which is more than 1,000 meters high. In Bayreuth itself, there is really no escape during the festival weeks: Wagner everywhere. Every self-respecting retailer decorates their shop windows accordingly. But if you're already here anyway, you can indulge in the Wagner aura to the full: a visit to the Richard Wagner Museum in the master's former home, lectures, smaller concerts, signing sessions. Or wellness in the Lohengrin Therme. But without the swan.
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