The Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany on Monday made official what was known for several days in opera circles, that the conductor Christian Thielemann will become its music director starting this summer.
There was little surprise to the announcement because the festival had already tipped its hand last week by designating an official parking space outside its theater with the sign: "Reserviert für Musikdirektor C. Thielemann" (Reserved for music director C. Thielemann). Photos believed to be of the sign appeared online Friday and were posted on the blog Slipped Disc.
To date, the 56-year-old Thielemann has been a musical adviser to the festival management. As music director, he is likely to have a significantly expanded area of responsibility, starting with conducting the opening performance of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde on July 25. Thielemann will work closely with Katharina Wagner, the great-granddaughter of Richard Wagner, who is the festival's artistic director (her sister, Eva Wagner, who has served as co-artistic director, was recently banned from the festival amid a power struggle, according to German press reports).
The head of the Dresden Staatskapelle, Thielemann was rumored to be a candidate for the Berlin Philharmonic music directorship in 2018, a post that instead went to Kirill Petrenko. Petrenko will conduct the Ring Cycle at this summer's Bayreuth Festival.