Bayreuth: German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived for the opening of the Bayreuth Festival on Wednesday, accompanied by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and her husband Joachim Sauer. Celebrities and politicians flock to the annual German festival specialising in the operatic works of Richard Wagner. Yuval Sharon’s take on Lohengrin — a Romantic opera first performed in 1850 — is to mark the opening of the festival in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth in southern Germany, which runs until August 29. Earlier this month, Roberto Alagna — the tenor who had been slated to sing the main role in Lohengrin — announced his withdrawal from the performance. He will be replaced by Poland’s Piotr Beczala. Grammy Award-winning German soprano Waltraud Meier is also set to give a comeback performance during the five-day festival. German artist couple Neo Rauch and Rosa Loy are in charge of set design and costumes. — DPA
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
