Overview

• Director Matthias Davids’s staging of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg foregrounds the opera’s comic roots under conductor Daniele Gatti.
• The premiere drew uninterrupted applause from Bayreuth’s often-critical audience, with boos all but absent.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz and former Chancellor Angela Merkel led senior politicians along the red carpet to fanfares and strict 5 p.m. punctuality.
• Merz lauded the production and confirmed he will attend—and help back—the festival’s 150th anniversary in 2026.
• All performances remain sold out, underscoring Bayreuth’s cultural prestige despite recent budget and staffing reforms.