“My week-long experience in Bayreuth was very eye and ear-opening. One of the highlights was sitting inside the orchestra pit. As a conductor, one is always experimenting with acoustics whichever hall one is in. What is special about Bayreuth’s acoustics is that the sound goes through different reflections through the walls from underneath and ultimately into the auditorium. Of course, listening to this one-of-a-kind surround sound in the different operas (and also audibly noticing how Wagner’s orchestration is different in each of the works) is a highly precious experience for me: this alone redefined my idea of sound production. Also, I have become more attentive and constantly curious about the staging aspects in each of the works. Admittedly, as a conductor, I am biased with musical and textual aspects, but during my time in Bayreuth, I also learned to appreciate productions, especially those that are daring in approach. Wagner was always pushing for something new and cutting-edge during his lifetime. It is refreshing to see newer approaches to staging in Bayreuth. It not only affects the plot, but also the wholistic listening experience to a different level.
Bayreuth also changed my perception of what is an intermission. In a “normal” concert experience, an intermission is where one might get refreshments and takes a break from the music that one has heard during the first half. However, the long intermissions during the festival mean that there is time to mingle and delve into deep discussion with different kinds of audience members, from pure enthusiasts to renowned scholars. It was like a symposium, community gathering, or a one-of-kind forum. I was not only looking forward to watching each act of the operas, but also excited for each intermission, whether there would be new corners of the Festpielhaus that I discover, new audience members that I meet, or in one case, greeted by a musical surprise! I cannot forget the wonderful spectacle during the first intermission of Tannhäuser: unique to the production that I saw, there was a separate musical act in itself! Thank you to The Wagner Society of New York and the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation for making this unforgettable experience happen for me.”
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