Inch by Inch, an Operatic Jewel Is Polished

I was surprised to find no mention of the excellent conductor of the opening performances, Baroque specialist Michael Hofstetter. He proved himself a master of precision, riveting the audience's attention throughout. And yes, the acoustics and the atmosphere of a Baroque theater proved to be well suited for performances of this Baroque opera. Intertwining the two stories (that of Artaserse with Markgräfin Wilhemine's) helped to compensate for the lack of opera (or super) titles, nowadays the accepted norm in many opera houses but out of place in such a marvelously restored theater. Anja Silja's moving recitations (in German) of Wilhemine's letters set the stage for the interspersed scenes from Artaserse, allowing the listener not fluent in sung Italian to understand the scenes emotionally rather than verbatim. I do have to agree with J Easter's comment on the inappropriate use of smartphone photography during the performance. While I did not see any use of flash, simply holding up a smartphone is inconsiderate and bothersome to others. No "no photographs please" announcement was made beforehand, which might have been helpful for those of the audience who came more for the opening event rather than for J A Hasse's music.

Overwhelming. We visited Bayreuth when we lived in Germany but did not see inside the Opera Haus. We will definitely visit when we go back to see friends and landlord in our old village, Hain.

A jewel indeed. Wow. I'd love to hear Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice" performed there. It would be the perfect dream.

So overly ornate that it is teetering over the abyss of vulgarity.

Stunning. I want to hear the sound in the room.

At first I thought I was looking at photographs of trump's apartment.

Amazing, if I didn't dislike Germany so much I would go there just to see this place. Not the nicest people in Munich...

Amazing venue; one I hope to visit and soak in all the history both musical and architectural. I just hope the inconsiderate woman in the next to last picture isn't there. Anyone who would whip out an iPhone to take a pic in mid performance debases the production and performers not to mention how inconsiderate that is to the audience but I'm sure she couldn't care less. I bet she left at halftime anyway to check the results of the recent cage fights but will proudly show off her pic at the local casino on the redneck Riviera when she gets back to Alabama.

Gorgeous pictures, and a surfeit. Thank you!

I was there just before it closed and it was already spectacular. Can't wait to see it again with centuries of grime and smoke removed!

Thank you for the spectacular photos!