Opus Arte signs long-term deal with Bayreuth
25 August 2009
The Royal Opera House’s multi-platform arts production and distribution company, Opus Arte, this morning announced a new long-term partnership with the Bayreuth Festival.
The announcement of the signing was made at a press conference in Bayreuth today by Katharina Wagner, co-director of Bayreuth Festival and great grand-daughter of Richard Wagner, together with Roland Ott, the new managing director of Opus Arte.
The first recording to be released on DVD will be Christoph Marthaler’s production of Tristan und Isolde conducted by Peter Schneider which is scheduled for release in November 2009.
At the same time, an audio recording of the complete Ring Cycle, conducted by Christian Thielemann in 2008, will be released.
Other releases will include Die Walküre in 2010 directed by Tankred Dorst and conducted by Christian Thielemann. Future productions will be announced in due course.
Tony Hall, chairman of Opus Arte and chief executive of the Royal Opera House said: ‘This is an exciting, long-term agreement between Opus Arte, the Royal Opera House and Bayreuth. Roland Ott and I want to bring the very best opera and ballet recordings to audiences all over the world. Including Bayreuth in the opera houses we are working with is an enormous bonus. I look forward to Thielemann’s Ring on CD and to many exciting productions on DVD’.
Katharina Wagner commented on the new cooperation: ‘I am very happy that, after a long time of talking to and discussing with several major labels, we now found a partner that not only is able to provide the high quality and the specific image that fits very well with the worldwide unique Bayreuth Festival but also is willing to become one of the very few and selected long-time partners we can definitely rely on’.
