Symphony IX by Beethoven Bayreuth Festival 2026

At the center of the ceremony is Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – a work of timeless grandeur and visionary power that had a lasting influence on Richard Wagner. The program is complemented by the prelude from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the entry of the guests from Tannhäuser.

Fascination and identification – Beethoven’s 9th Symphony played a uniquely important role in Richard Wagner’s life, more than any other musical work. At the age of 17, he made a piano reduction of the symphony, and a performance in 1839 at the Paris Conservatory deeply impressed him. In 1846, he conducted the Ninth successfully for the first time in Dresden; to aid the audience’s understanding, he had published an introduction in advance. This performance was often repeated annually. On the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on May 22, 1872, the Ninth was performed under Wagner’s direction at the Margravial Opera House. Over time, the 9th Symphony was performed in the Festspielhaus on various occasions: on the 50th anniversary of Wagner’s death conducted by Richard Strauss, in 1951 to mark the reopening of the festival under Wilhelm Furtwängler, who also conducted another performance in 1954, in 1953 conducted by Paul Hindemith to signal a connection with representatives of New Music, in 1963 conducted by Karl Böhm for Wagner’s 150th birthday, and in 2001 conducted by Christian Thielemann for the 125th anniversary of the festival and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the New Bayreuth.

Program and cast

Musical Direction: Christian Thielemann
Soprano: Elza van den Heever
Alto: Christa Mayer
Tenor: Piotr Beczała
Bass: Georg Zeppenfeld
with the Choir of the Bayreuth Festival