There are now a number of sites in Leipzig to remind us of the city’s famous son, including a permanent exhibition “The Young Richard Wagner, 1831 to 1834” in the Old St Nicholas School and the new Richard Wagner Memorial on the Promenadenring. The first Richard Wagner Award has been presented. The ceremony was held at the Opera House on the bicentenary of the composer’s birth, and guests included members of the federal government and the Wagner family.
Memorial sites need life. That’s why Leipzig Opera is dedicated to maintaining the city’s Wagner heritage with productions of the complete Ring cycle. The 2013/14 season will again feature performances of The Rhine Gold. 7 December 2013 will see the première of The Valkyrie and on 12 April 2015 Siegfried will open. And for the 2015/2016 season there’s a production of Twilight of the Gods in the pipeline. (See www.oper-leipzig.de).
Last but not least, there are plans to make the Wagner Festival, including the Wagner Award ceremony, a permanent fixture in the event calendar of the Music City. We’ll keep you up to date with developments! As you see, Richard Wagner is a son of Leipzig and will remain so forever. His memory is being kept alive in a variety of ways for us and for visitors to the city.
This is underlined by the huge response to the City of Leipzig Richard Wagner Festival 2013, held from 16 to 26 May to mark the composer’s bicentenary. Thousands of Wagner fans flocked to the city to enjoy numerous operas, concerts, drama projects, exhibitions, film productions and viewings, as well as readings and conferences. Among the most popular and acclaimed performances were those of The Fairies, The Rhine Gold, and The Flying Dutchman at the Leipzig Opera and the Leipzig 2013 Richard Wagner Association’s production of Twilight of the Gods. There was also a unique collaboration between the Leipzig Opera and the Bayreuth Festival (BF Medien GmbH), which was responsible for performances of Wagner’s three early works at the Oberfrankenhalle in Bayreuth: The Fairies, The Ban on Love and Rienzi.
Have a look at this entertaining review of the events so far in the image gallery and watch the cartoon RICHARD – Im Walkürenritt durch Wagners Leben (RICHARD – A Valkyrie Ride through Wagner’s Life). – Look, listen, be amazed!
