Wagner's Valhalla

[Anne]

Iago has been to Bayreuth.  He had no tickets in advance of his arrival.  He had no trouble getting tickets as he acquired them at performance time the same way as Lis' friend.

[marvinbrown]

  Sarge, Jezetha, Lis, Anne, Wanderer, PSmith08, Sforzando and other Wagner fans, Wagner affectionados, colleagues and friends thank you all for contributing your experiences, thoughts and impressions regarding Bayreuth! I am on holiday in Spain and have just seen all your responses so please pardon the delay in responding.  First let me say that this was hardly the reaction I was hoping to get from all of you!  But there seems to be a consensus amongst all of you that perhaps there are better, more comfortable and certainly more affordable ways of experiencing Wagner's operas than attending Bayreuth!  I guess in my usual naive over simplistic nature I was drawn to the "allure"....the "fantasy".... of attending what I deemed to be the ultimate Wagnerian experience- seeing an opera at Wagner's opera house!  I now have second doubts about going! I certainly can't afford 1000 to 1500 euros Sarge, and the thought of leaving that opera house with a sore arse is hardly appealing Lis! Stravinsky's autobiographical account does not sweeten the pot either Sforzando!

   Finally, Lis could you please translate  Um Gotteswillen for me??

  marvin

   

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Am I allowed, too?

For God's sake! or For heaven's sake!

[marvinbrown]

Am I allowed, too?

For God's sake! or For heaven's sake!

  LOL thanks Jezetha!

  marvin

[uffeviking]

Am I allowed, too?

For God's sake! or For heaven's sake!

Nice job, Jez! 

Totally OT: Now show your talent with my native Bavarian: Eabbeamamalad!  A hint: It's something you'll have for Friaschdigg. 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Nice job, Jez! 

Totally OT: Now show your talent with my native Bavarian: Eabbeamamalad!  A hint: It's something you'll have for Friaschdigg. 

You tell me what sort of jam Bavarians have for Frühstück!

[uffeviking]

You are a genius! I am in awe! 

It's Erdbeermarmelade. Confession: When I read it in a Der Spiegel short article, I had to say it a few times to identify the fruit in the jam! 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

You are a genius! I am in awe! 

It's Erdbeermarmelade. Confession: When I read it in a Der Spiegel short article, I had to say it a few times to identify the fruit in the jam! 

Now I can hear it too!

[uffeviking]

  Sarge, Jezetha, Lis, Anne, Wanderer, PSmith08, Sforzando and other Wagner fans, Wagner affectionados, colleagues and friends thank you all for contributing your experiences, thoughts and impressions regarding Bayreuth! I am on holiday in Spain and have just seen all your responses so please pardon the delay in responding.  First let me say that this was hardly the reaction I was hoping to get from all of you!  But there seems to be a consensus amongst all of you that perhaps there are better, more comfortable and certainly more affordable ways of experiencing Wagner's operas than attending Bayreuth!  I guess in my usual naive over simplistic nature I was drawn to the "allure"....the "fantasy".... of attending what I deemed to be the ultimate Wagnerian experience- seeing an opera at Wagner's opera house!  I now have second doubts about going! I certainly can't afford 1000 to 1500 euros Sarge, and the thought of leaving that opera house with a sore arse is hardly appealing Lis! Stravinsky's autobiographical account does not sweeten the pot either Sforzando!

    marvin

 

Oh Dear Marvin, between your lines I read sadness about being deprived of materialising this lifelong dream of yours: Attending a Wagner opera, in person, in his creation. I didn't intend my post that way, only issuing a warning, and I think so did your other Wagner friends, preparing you for what will await you. By all means, Marvin, put on your old tux, walk up The Hill and hope for a kind soul to give you a ticket. If you don't succeed, you know you have tried. If you don't go through all this, you'll propably live forever with the doubt: "I might have gotten a ticket!" - and then blame at least me for it all! - The sore arse will heal and you'll tell us it was worth the torture! - 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I certainly want to hear Wagner in Bayreuth. I hope I'll become so famous, I can 'jump the queue'... 

[Renfield]

I certainly want to hear Wagner in Bayreuth. I hope I'll become so famous, I can 'jump the queue'... 

Or you could try to impersonate a guest you can be certain will not attend, through whatever means.

[marvinbrown]

Oh Dear Marvin, between your lines I read sadness about being deprived of materialising this lifelong dream of yours: Attending a Wagner opera, in person, in his creation. I didn't intend my post that way, only issuing a warning, and I think so did your other Wagner friends, preparing you for what will await you. By all means, Marvin, put on your old tux, walk up The Hill and hope for a kind soul to give you a ticket. If you don't succeed, you know you have tried. If you don't go through all this, you'll propably live forever with the doubt: "I might have gotten a ticket!" - and then blame at least me for it all! - The sore arse will heal and you'll tell us it was worth the torture! - 

  Thanks Lis I will keep that in mind. I have not given up yet and  I am currently doing more research regarding this matter.  I am looking at the Wagner society here in England as they every once in a while get tickets to Bayreuth.  Cost will always be an issue so I will have to budget this accordingly and unlike Jezetha I will never attain "so famous" a status so as to "jump" the queues!

  There is one think I am sure of, being in Bayreuth at that opera house, knowing that Wagner  0:) himself was there, conducting is going to overwhelm me!

  marvin

   

[M forever]

I don't think it's that extremely impossible to get tickets if you have some connections. I never heard an actual performance at the Festpielhaus, but my mother and step father went a few times although the last time is already many moons ago. They aren't that much into opera anyway but don't mind going once in a while . I think they got the tickets from friends. I stopped by during the summer once right before the festival began and once when it was already running to visit people I knew in the orchestra, so I had the opportunity to hear some orchestra-only rehearsals (Parsifal with Sinopoli) and some stage rehearsals (Götterdämmerung with Levine) in the theater which was very interesting. The orchestra pit is very interesting, too, really deep and actually getting lower in stages towards the back, unlike most pits which are just flat. The half open lid does mute and darken the color the sound a little bit, but it can still get really loud in the auditorium when the 100 or so handpicked players play full steam ahead.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

and unlike Jezetha I will never attain "so famous" a status so as to "jump" the queues!

We're equally unfortunate at the moment, Bayreuth-wise, Marvin! My fame and fate lie in the lap of fickle gods...

(Interesting post, M.)

[PSmith08]

You know, while it would require some long-range planning, there really is no reason not to start to send in the ticket forms. While I have now heard several times from several sources that it's not impossible to snag tickets from various sources, it's not a bad idea to get them in a sort of pincer move, assuming that one has the leisure time or the proximity to go hang out in Bayreuth.

[DavidRoss]

Or you could try to impersonate a guest you can be certain will not attend, through whatever means.

Sounds like Ripley's solution!

[Renfield]

Sounds like Ripley's solution!

The Talented Mr Herrenberg.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The Talented Mr Herrenberg.

Should be an absorbing film... ! 

[marvinbrown]

I don't think it's that extremely impossible to get tickets if you have some connections. I never heard an actual performance at the Festpielhaus, but my mother and step father went a few times although the last time is already many moons ago. They aren't that much into opera anyway but don't mind going once in a while . I think they got the tickets from friends. I stopped by during the summer once right before the festival began and once when it was already running to visit people I knew in the orchestra, so I had the opportunity to hear some orchestra-only rehearsals (Parsifal with Sinopoli) and some stage rehearsals (Götterdämmerung with Levine) in the theater which was very interesting. The orchestra pit is very interesting, too, really deep and actually getting lower in stages towards the back, unlike most pits which are just flat. The half open lid does mute and darken the color the sound a little bit, but it can still get really loud in the auditorium when the 100 or so handpicked players play full steam ahead.

  Thanks M for posting this  !  I especially liked the part about how the half open lid of the sunken orchestra pit tends to darken the sound.  I can well imagine the effect that would have say on the opening of Die Walkure or the leitmotif of Fafner the dragon and the Siegfried Funeral March!!

  You mention that you were once at Bayreuth when the festival was already running.  What was the atmosphere, "ambiance",  like? I have been informed that people are in tuxes et al. Were there any special events in between performances that you found interesting?

  Finally regarding tickets I have no connections of any kind in Germany.  I have never even been there. I'll have to start applying for tickets ASAP and see what materializes. High on my priority list is the Ring Cycle and Tristan und Isolde and I am willing to wait a few years to catch either or.  But I fear that in my particular case beggars can't be choosers .  Also as I have never been to Germany I would like to do some site seeing as well on my way to Bayreuth. So much to plan between now and then, let's see what happens??

  marvin     

[Anne]

I've been on the internet since 1994 (if I remember correctly - whenever the OJ civil trial was offered on the internet but not on TV - we could read the transcripts).

On one of the sites someone said it was very easy to get tickets from his country.  Apparently a lot of tickets are allotted to that country because it had helped Germany,or Wagner, in the past.  I cannot remember the country but maybe some of you might.