Last Saturday, June 30, the time had finally come again: The orchestra gathered in the Festspielrestaurant, the traditional rehearsal room, for the very first rehearsal of the 2012 season. On the programme of this morning was the first act of Tannhäuser. With the arrival of the orchestra musicians, the participants of the Festival are almost complete, and the “busy anthill” into which the Green Hill will transform in the coming weeks is almost complete.
Organizational details were quickly clarified before Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Katharina Wagner warmly welcomed the assembled participants. This year, a total of 187 musicians have come to Bayreuth – predominantly from German orchestras, but also from Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands. 13 orchestra members are participating in Bayreuth for the first time and were welcomed with friendly applause from their colleagues. A minute of silence was observed in memory of a deceased colleague who had been part of the Festival Orchestra for 40 years.
The new soloists in this year’s cast of Tannhäuser – Michelle Breedt (Venus) and Torsten Kerl (Tannhäuser) – were also introduced. However, there was no need to introduce the “new” Tannhäuser conductor Christian Thielemann, who last conducted the work in the previous production in 2005. There was intense concentration when he finally raised his baton and the horns began the overture – the 2012 Festival season continues to gain momentum.