No Wagner in Bayreuth? Oh yes, absolutely, there's no corner of beautiful Bayreuth without Wagner. He's even hidden in login passwords. Fortunately, Wagner is no longer alone. There's Bayreuth Baroque and recently Gluck was the main attraction.
Christoph Willibald von Gluck (1714-1787), the underrated composer, who slipped almost unnoticed through the folds of music history—a composer without whom there would have been no classicism, possibly no Mozart, and perhaps not even Wagner. How many people really know more than 'Ach, ich habe sie verloren' and the ballet from his Orfeo ed Euridice? Few. The Gluck Festival now changes this neglect and almost 240 years after the death of this brilliant composer, he receives the recognition he deserves. Wagner knew what Gluck stood for and he arranged his music. That alone says enough about why the not-so-simple Richard Wagner did it. Whether those arrangements were successful is debatable, but everything must be seen and understood in its own time.
The 'Gluck Festival 2026' which highlights the theme Amor & Psyche, invited a number of music critics to familiarize themselves with and report on two operas by Gluck. One in an arrangement by Wagner, ' Iphigenie in Aulis', the other, ' Paride ed Elena', in the original version. The setting for the Wagnerian Gluck was in the (not yet fully completed) Friedrichsforum complex, the 'Großer Saal', and for the opera Paride ed Elena they chose the Markgräfliches Opernhaus. The latter is, quite rightly, UNESCO World Heritage. A rococo hall and stage with striking trompe-l'œil paintings alongside expertly crafted wood carvings and stucco work. Remarkable is that all the large curtains which are normally in red velour are here simply part of the trompe-l'œil paintings.
Iphigenie in Aulis or Gluck through Wagner's eyes
The greatly renovated Großer Saal in the Friedrichsforum, which has been under renovation for years, welcomed the musicians and audience to listen to and experience how Wagner reshaped the now virtually unknown opera Iphigenie in Aulis by Gluck to suit his purposes and how he respected the original. He succeeded in that respect. His temperament turned this opera, which alongside solos gives considerable attention to the chorus and of course the orchestra, into quite a powerful whole that somewhat overwhelms. It's certainly beautiful, unusual too. We heard a musical work conducted by Michael Hofstetter that was in excellent form and completely absorbed in a concert performance. This was a deliberate choice to place more emphasis on the unfamiliar music for most of us and to emphasize Gluck's importance for opera after him. Because it must be said and written: without Gluck, opera might have muddled along and musical theater might have died out because in time it could have bored people, especially in those turbulent times of novelties in all aspects of society.
The performers listed: Bo Skovhus, Agamemnon – Vero Miller, Clytemnestra – Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli, Iphigenia – Aco Bišćević, Achilles – Christian Miedl, Calchas – Soula Parassidis, Pallas Athena – the choir Cantus Thuringia – Thuringia Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach – Michael Hofstetter, conductor
Pure Paride ed Elena in my top 3!
Perhaps I was brief in my review of Iphigenie in Aulis, but why? There's a reason for that, and that reason is the performance of the opera Paride ed Elena. Musically shaped by the same driven conductor—a man who meditates before getting to work—and the same choir, with different singers this time and accompanied by none other than the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. A group of musicians that stood and stands for the very best, and whether that was proven.
Hofstetter, besides being conductor also intendant of the Gluck Festspiele 2026, again chose a concert performance. You might think it a pity because such a Greek tragedy calls for beautiful scenery, the flowing robes of wealthy Greek ladies from those ancient times and more, but no one missed the theatrical aspect. The stage setting itself is more than richly decorated—one solid block of baroque harmony and symmetry that gives plenty to the eye. As for acting, in such a story you can expect little more than some stiff back-and-forth pacing, but it was skillfully replaced here by singers who presented very expressive mimicry and measured gestures where you hardly needed any supplementary theater.
As far as the eye was concerned, it was more than satisfying, but musically we experienced something unmatched. I'm not exaggerating: it was one of the three best opera performances I've ever experienced live. At the top stands and remains Don Carlos by Verdi performed by the Opéra de Wallonie-Liège in 2020. I reserve second place, after due consultation with myself (a matter of conscience), for Rigoletto by Verdi in Novi Sad in 2019, and now, as third or equal to Rigoletto, is this Paride ed Elena. Three completely different works, but with the same artistic inspiration that carries unconditional faithfulness to the original, the greatest respect for the work of composer and librettist. It's a pleasure to see a conductor at work who is completely absorbed by the score and with a radiant smile conducts his musicians with inspiration and immediate encouragement for a work you don't know.
This opera was hardly unknown; listen to Mozart's Idomeneo…
What does Mozart's Idomeneo really have to do with this lesser-known opera by Gluck today? Not everything, but more than you might think. Mozart certainly pays homage to Gluck in Idomeneo with the final chorus. The castrato role features two extended, musically gripping, deeply moving arias that demand virtuosity, technique, and above all an exceptional artistic talent—arias that leave the audience spellbound, barely daring to breathe. These are arias that no longer remind you of Gluck, but far more of Mozart. The genius, by the way, also lies in the other arias and indeed the entire score, but still, this opera is perhaps even more than Gluck's Orfeo the revolution in opera that led to, among other things, Mozart.
The artistic performances of the renowned orchestra and choir were already captivating, but the singers' restrained yet so emphatic mimicry and gestures presented the whole as if it were a staged performance rather than a concert performance at all.
Just as the evening before, listening to supremely talented singers and to a voice you can never forget. The professionalism of the trio—Roberta Mameli as the reluctant yet conquered Elena in love, Vanessa Waldhart in the role of the all-dominating Amor, and the resolute, vindictive Athena by Soula Parassidis—was of the highest caliber. And then Paride… A castrato role now sung by women because men, fortunately, are no longer castrated at age 12 for their beautiful boyish voices, is performed by the singer—no songstress—more than impressively. There are men who can sing like a castrato, or thereabouts; it may have sounded somewhat different, but that's neither here nor there. Now and then you get to hear one of them. Samuel Marino is one such singer. Highly trained in the artistic world with ballet and voice, son of university professors who, sadly, had difficulty accepting their son because he was indeed 'different.' As a result, he never experienced a full voice break—a rare but real phenomenon. Read more about him via this link.
Marino is a musical gift from God. How do you put into words what cannot be put into words? On the various channels where you can listen to music, you'll find recordings with this unique singer, a sopranista. Dear readers, go for it, search, discover, and find out where and when you can experience this musical rarity. And further, you've meanwhile learned that Bayreuth is much more than just Wagner, thanks to none other than, yes indeed, Wagner.
