STAGE+ will present the international online premiere of
Jay Scheib’s new production of Parsifal (26 July)
Conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, the superb cast of Parsifal is headed by
Elīna Garanča and Andreas Schager
STAGE+ is also offering the most comprehensive Bayreuth VOD collection,
with exciting additions of legendary performances spanning the era of Katharina Wagner
as well as highlights from Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner’s tenures
Berlin, 21st July 2023. Deutsche Grammophon is pleased to announce that its pioneering global media partnershipwith the Bayreuth Festival will be further expanded this year. In 2022, the label launched its ground-breaking classical music platform, STAGE+, which hosted the international premiere screenings of Valentin Schwarz’s thought-provoking new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen. Now the enhanced collaboration between DG and Bayreuth will allow for an even more comprehensive and in-depth online experience of the Festival.
Highlights will include Jay Scheib’s highly anticipated Parsifal from the Festspielhaus on STAGE+ one day after its live premiere. Virtual festivalgoers will be able to watch the opera on STAGE+ from 6pm CET on 26 July 2023 and – catering to the American and Asian territories – again on 27 July from midnight and 11am CET.
Making their Bayreuth debuts in the 2023 production of Parsifal are mezzo-soprano and exclusive DG artist Elīna Garanča – who will star as Kundry alongside tenor Andreas Schager in the title role – and conductor Pablo Heras-Casado. Its director, Jay Scheib, is internationally renowned for creating genre-defying stagings that push the boundaries of physicality and make imaginative use of cutting-edge technologies in live performance. Underlining its status as one of this year’s major theatre events, his Parsifalwill employaugmented reality (AR) technology. Audience members in the Festspielhaus auditorium can choose to wear specially provided AR goggles offering access to an additional and immersive digital realm, whose imagery will expand the physical space. STAGE+ will incorporate these AR elements into the post-produced version at a later stage, so music fans who did not wear goggles in the theatre will be able to partake in this experience.
With the latest premiere and recent additions from the archives, STAGE+ offers the most comprehensive collection of Bayreuth Festival productions on demand. Notably, this encompasses all productions staged in the past decade since Katharina Wagner became the Festival’s sole Artistic and Managing Director, e.g. Tobias Kratzer’s Tannhäuser (2019) and Dmitri Tcherniakov’s Der fliegende Holländer (2021). From the eras of Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner, STAGE+ presents classic Bayreuth Festival stagings that made performance history, including Patrice Chéreau’s legendary “Centenary Ring” cycle. It will therefore be possible to compare and contrast this version on STAGE+ with the most recent Bayreuth Ring cycles – those directed by Frank Castorf (conducted by Marek Janowski) and Valentin Schwarz (conducted by Cornelius Meister). The experience will be complemented by the rich audio heritage of the Bayreuth Festival on the Decca and Deutsche Grammophon labels, in landmark recordings by conductors such as Karl Böhm, Pierre Boulez, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Christian Thielemann. STAGE+ subscribers will also have access to a wide array of behind-the-scenes films and interviews from the current Festival and past editions, some of which were produced in cooperation with German broadcaster BR-KLASSIK.
Wagner fans living in Germany, Austria or Switzerland will be able to enjoy a remarkable range of TV, radio and online offerings from BR-KLASSIK throughout this year’s Bayreuth Festival. Its radio station and online destination will broadcast seven performances, including Parsifal live on the opening afternoon, interview established stars and debut artists and host critics’ forums. The Bayreuth Festival will also stream the opening premiere to selected cinemas across Germany.
About Deutsche Grammophon
One of the most prestigious names in global classical music since its foundation in 1898, Deutsche Grammophon has always stood for the highest standards of artistry and sound quality. Home to the greatest artists of all time, the famous yellow label is a beacon to which music lovers all over the world look for outstanding musical interpretations, audio recordings and visual productions. Highly dedicated to the development of new repertoire in art music, Deutsche Grammophon fosters and promotes a whole range of popular contemporary artists and eminent composers. The label also prides itself on its innovative use of the latest technology to provide music digitally to audiences worldwide.
Deutsche Grammophon’s current artist roster boasts some of the most distinguished figures in classical and contemporary music today, including Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, Elīna Garanča, Hélène Grimaud, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Jan Lisiecki, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Murray Perahia, Maurizio Pollini, Grigory Sokolov, Bryn Terfel, Daniil Trifonov, Rolando Villazón and Krystian Zimerman, as well as Joep Beving, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Dustin O’Halloran, Agnes Obel, Víkingur Ólafsson and Max Richter. In addition, the label’s catalogue represents the cultural legacy of whole generations of maestri and features recordings from many of the finest artists in music history, including Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Vladimir Horowitz, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Herbert von Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Mstislav Rostropovich and Andrés Segovia.
About STAGE+
Deutsche Grammophon’s STAGE+ platform is a ground-breaking classical music subscription service, which has been designed to place audiences at the heart of what happens on stage. Subscribers can be brought closer than ever before to Universal Music Group’s roster of world-class artists and beyond, via a wide range of content, which includes exclusive live premieres; long-form concert and opera programmes; music videos; documentaries and behind-the-scenes interviews; new audio releases, as well as albums from the legendary Deutsche Grammophon and Decca catalogues. The platform is available as a TV, mobile and web app, with many videos offered in 4K resolution and Dolby Atmos Music. Audio content is in Hi-Res Lossless format, virtually indistinguishable from the original studio recording. Optimised metadata enables users to search via title and access individual works, movements, or opera scenes, with every search linked to all relevant audio and video content available for any particular artist, composer, work, venue or partner organisation. Subscribers can save favourites and download content to mobile devices for offline viewing or listening.
For further information on upcoming STAGE+ streaming content see below or visit: www.stage-plus.com.
· Premiere: Bayreuth 2023: Heras-Casado conducts Parsifal,with Andreas Schager and Elīna Garanča, directed by Jay Scheib (26 July 2023)
· Live: Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler & Berg, with violinist Augustin Hadelich, soprano Christiane Karg and the Wiener Philharmoniker,Salzburg Festival (6 August 2023)
· Premiere: Daniil Trifonov: Live in Salzburg, Salzburg Festival (13 August 2023)
· Live: Finals of the 64th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition (29 August – 3 September)
· Premiere: John Williams in Tokyo, conducting the Saito Kinen Orchestra at Suntory Hall (9 September)
About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information, visit www.universalmusic.com.