Introductory Lectures

Production-Related Introductory Lectures 2026


In the 2026 Bayreuth Festival season, Dr. Sven Friedrich will once again present his production-related introductory talks.

Introductions will be held for the productions “Rienzi”, “Parsifal”, and “The Flying Dutchman” on the respective performance days. For “The Ring of the Nibelung”, the introductory talk will take place exclusively on the day of “Die Walküre”.

The talks offer insightful perspectives on each production and are deliberately designed to be accessible and engaging rather than academic. They provide the audience with an informative introduction in the morning and help prepare for the evening’s operatic experience.

The approximately one-hour introductory talks are organized by BF Medien GmbH on behalf of the Bayreuth Festival. The Bayreuth Festival extends its sincere gratitude to the Society of Friends of Bayreuth e. V. (https://english.freunde-bayreuth.org/) for their generous support of these production-related introductions.

Admission to the respective evening performance – as well as to any other performance within the festival – entitles the holder to attend the introductory talk free of charge.

In addition, the introductory talks can be accessed as video recordings via the QR code or link provided on the online ticket.

Interior view of the auditorium in the Festspielhaus with bright lighting and a view of the uppermost rows of seats.

Events

10:30 a.m. in the Festspielhaus

On performance days, you have the opportunity to purchase the program booklets for the performances at our kiosk from 10 AM to 12 PM.

The production-related introductory lectures are made possible by the Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth e.V.

Logo of the Society of Friends of Bayreuth e. V.