On Sunday, August 9, 2009, the Wagner opera “Tristan und Isolde” will be broadcast live for the first time from the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth to the city’s festival square and – worldwide – to the internet. The Siemens Festival Night will allow tens of thousands of people on-site and on screen to experience why opera lovers have always regarded and cherished Wagner’s festival on the Green Hill as a highlight of the opera world. “We are happy to help bring this world-class cultural event closer to a global audience in Bayreuth,” said Siemens CEO Peter Löscher, adding: “We want to continue this beyond 2009; we are interested in a long-term partnership.”
Richard Wagner already dreamed of “festivals for everyone”. His great-granddaughter Katharina Wagner also wants to open the festival to a broad audience. Thus, Bayreuth Festival, together with the City of Bayreuth and Siemens, are once again presenting a major event that fulfills Wagner’s wish in unusual and technically innovative ways. The Siemens Festival Night will offer even more incentives as a “Public Viewing” experience on the festival square in Bayreuth than in the previous year. In addition, there is now a worldwide, high-quality, and affordable webstream offering for anyone using broadband internet, including the live broadcast and a recording of the opera.
“We are extremely grateful that Siemens, through its contribution, makes the opening of the festival possible,” said Katharina Wagner. “The festival will continue to pursue a strategy of transparency, set artistic standards for Wagner interpretation in the future, and attract new opera enthusiasts within the framework of the Siemens Festival Night,” rejoiced the youngest head on the Green Hill, adding: “With Siemens, we have found a partner who stands for tradition and change, innovation and sustainability, thus sharing our values and goals.”
“Our cultural and social commitment is a living tradition. Our founder Werner von Siemens already embodied this responsibility,” said Siemens Head of Communications Stephan Heimbach: “Today, for example, we use modern technical possibilities to convey art and culture to a broad international audience.” Especially with the Siemens Festival Night, the company relies on innovative approaches to find even more worldwide acceptance and enthusiasm for this, especially among younger people, with the help of technology. “It is a combination of artistic and technical excellence that works together purposefully and sustainably here,” emphasized Heimbach. The Siemens Festival Night also shows that excellent cultural work finds great interest and deserves active support even in times of a global economic crisis.
Siemens’ Commitment
Siemens is committed to long-term social development through the promotion of education and research, as well as social aid initiatives, and last but not least, the promotion of art and culture. All three focal points are currently united under the umbrella of the Siemens Foundation. It was endowed with initial capital of 390 million Euros. Last year, Siemens AG invested approximately 50 million Euros in donations and project funds for social activities, including various cultural endeavors.
Siemens cultural projects, such as those in Bayreuth, aim to initiate dialogues between culture, society, and economy. Siemens understands culture as a link between societies and a bridge to the economy. The engagement of a broad audience with art and culture leads to greater understanding and open-mindedness among people. At the same time, this commitment fosters Siemens’ connection with its environment and the motivation of its employees. “The more open society is to this intellectual engagement, the better the breeding ground for Siemens as an innovation company,” said Heimbach.
Details on Public Viewing
The deepened partnership with the festival is now reflected in the further expanded Siemens Festival Night. For tens of thousands of visitors, the festival square in Bayreuth offers even more amenities compared to the previous year, when the streams of visitors exceeded all expectations. Thus, the larger viewing areas, with a view of the approximately 90-square-meter and fully daylight-capable screen, now offer more space for families to feel comfortable. For example, even more deck chairs now fit on the fine sandy area in front of the beach bar. Excellent HD picture quality and a new 3D surround sound ensure a magnificent opera experience for all viewers.
The entire Siemens Festival Night will be accompanied from noon onwards by a diverse supporting program that appeals to all senses. Music publicist Axel Brüggemann, as an experienced moderator, will introduce the audience to the events on, in front of, and behind the stage. The live broadcast of “Tristan und Isolde” already begins at 3 PM and ends shortly after 9 PM. Culinary delights will also be provided at the surrounding stands. Festival fanfares are intended to announce the beginning of the opera acts. After the final applause in the Festspielhaus, the singers can present themselves on the Bayreuth festival square and celebrate with their fans, just like last year.
Details on Internet Broadcast
Enjoyment of the Siemens Festival Night will also arise with online access. The fast “webstream” via the internet to one’s own computer is now accessible via the Siemens internet portal www.siemens.com/festspielnacht and is designed to be particularly user-friendly. A special service is offered by the helpdesk in various languages – it provides immediate and uncomplicated assistance with technical questions. Depending on the internet connection and computer equipment, the user can choose between three different resolutions. The optimal picture and sound quality can even be transmitted individually in excellent HD resolution. Furthermore, if desired, the opera text can be simultaneously displayed with German subtitles. While this is not available for free like the “Public Viewing” in Bayreuth, it is offered for a fee of just under 15 Euros, and the proceeds are passed on to the artists according to a license key contractually agreed upon by Bayreuth Festival Medien GmbH with the artists. However, in addition to the live broadcast, the internet user also gets the opportunity to enjoy the recording of this production “on demand” again within two weeks.
The Siemens Festival Nights are crowd-pullers. Last year, tens of thousands of people followed Wagner’s “Meistersinger” until the end and were completely thrilled by the first Festival Night in Bayreuth. The somewhat smaller public festival broadcasts in Salzburg, which Siemens has supported since 2001, also attract similarly large streams of visitors each year. In total, well over a quarter of a million people are likely to have experienced the Siemens Festival Nights.