Posted July 25, 2011

According to the opera world insider Norman Lebrecht’s blog post today, Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier have named Frank Castorf to direct the 2013 Ring in Bayreuth.  As most know, negotiations with Wim Wenders broke down over 3-D filming of the Ring.  Few outside of German theatrical circles know about Herr Castorf.

Castorf, 60,  has been running the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxembourg-Platz in Berlin for almost 20 years and has a reputation for daring productions.

Here is a link to a very informative article about Castorf courtesy of the Goethe Institut.  It is from the Institut’s collection of 50 portraits on contemporary German Directors:

http://www.goethe.de/kue/the/reg/reg/ag/cas/por/enindex.htm

Rising star conductor, 39 year old Russian Kirill Petrenko is set to conduct.

NIKE WAGNER SPEAKS OUT:

Also interesting is a very revealing interview with Nike Wagner in Der Spiegel.  In this article she talks about her role championing the legacy of her great-great grandfather Franz Liszt, whose 200th birthday will be celebrated in Weimar but not in Bayreuth. Frau Wagner also addresses her family’s checkered past in a very frank manner.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,775814,00.html#ref=nlint