Bayreuth Festspielhaus
The Bayreuth Festspielhaus (Bayreuth Festival Theatre) is an opera house built to the north of the town of Bayreuth in Germany, dedicated to the performance of Richard Wagner's operas. It was designed and built under Wagner's supervision, and its construction was principally funded by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was first opened for the premiere of the complete four-opera cycle of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungs), one opera performed every night from 13 August to 17 August 1876. The Festspielhaus is the venue of the annual Richard Wagner Festival, during which Wagner's operas, such as the Ring and Parsifal, are given on a repertory basis. The festival draws thousands of opera fans to Bayreuth every August. It is very difficult to get tickets, because demand greatly exceeds supply; the waiting time is usually seven or eight years. Bibliography: Spotts, Frederic, Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1994.
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