The Bayreuth Festival mourns the death of its long-time former choir director Prof. Norbert Balatsch, honorary member of the Vienna State Opera, who died yesterday at the age of 92. Prof. Balatsch was a member of the Vienna Boys’ Choir from 1938 to 1944, took over the direction of the Vienna Men’s Choral Society in 1953 and worked with the Coro di Santa Cecila di Roma and other international choirs. From 1972 to 1999 he was choirmaster at the Bayreuth Festival and worked during this time with renowned conductors such as Horst Stein, Eugen Jochum, Silvio Varviso, Heinrich Hollreiser, Carlos Kleiber, Karl Böhm, Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Dennis Russell Davies, Peter Schneider, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Georg Solti, Giuseppe Sinopoli and directors like Götz Friedrich, Wolfgang Wagner, August Everding, Patrice Chéreau, Harry Kupfer, Sir Peter Hall, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Dieter Dorn, Alfred Kirchner, Heiner Müller and Keith Warner. We bow to a great artist and honour the memory of Professor Balatsch.