Munich Opera Festival 2021
Munich Opera Festival 2021
The Munich Opera Festival (Münchner Opernfestspiele) - one of the oldest theater festivals in the world - started in 1875. It enjoys immense popularity not only in Europe, but also among fans of opera music from all continents. More than 80 thousand tickets are sold annually for the events of the festival, which lasts five weeks. The main events take place at the Bavarian National Theater; artistic direction of the festival is traditionally entrusted to the music director of the Bavarian State Opera. The festival does not have a specific specialization, as, for example, the Salzburg one; his repertoire is notable for its diversity and richness, a harmonious combination of classical and modern repertoire.
In addition to the magnificent opera program, the festival hosts gala concerts, recitals of world opera stars, performances of chamber and symphony orchestras. Many performances are preceded by introductions: two hours before the start of the opera, you can listen to a lecture on the work or watch a documentary. Those who were unable to purchase tickets for the performance have the opportunity to see the performance for free - on a huge screen installed on the square in front of the theater.
About the Munich Opera Festival
The Munich Opera Festival is the glamorous highlight and at the same time, the culmination of the opera year, and in June and July brings opera enthusiasts from all over the world to Munich. Opera, ballet, lieder recitals and festival concerts with an alternating topical focus point are presented over five weeks, while the season’s premieres are also brought back to the stage.
The Munich Opera Festival takes place yearly in the Bavarian capital from late June to late July. Preceding on the calendar the two nearby festivals of Bayreuth and Salzburg, which both start in late July, the festival summarizes the concluding main season's work of the Bavarian State Opera, which administers it, and offers premieres of new stage productions by the company, Germany's largest.
Venues used include the Nationaltheater, the Prinzregententheater, the Cuvilliés-Theater and the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche. Besides opera, concerts of chamber music are given to showcase the work of members of the Bavarian State Orchestra, which serves in the pit for all opera performances. The festival is formally opened each year with a choral concert performed as part of a full Roman Catholic church service at Michaelskirche; this is led by the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, with the opera company's music director overseeing the work of the musicians in the organ loft. A festival highlight is Opera for All, the live transmission of a full-length production from the theater to an outdoor audience seated in Max-Joseph-Platz.
