Wagner in Wahnfried
Donald Macleod follows Wagner’s journey to Bayreuth and the birth of his festival.
A house named for peace. A theatre built for myth. A festival that nearly collapsed before it began. In today’s episode, Donald Macleod follows Wagner into the final act of his life as he realises his last great dream: the Bayreuth Festival. From the design of the Festspielhaus to the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, we follow Wagner’s relentless pursuit of artistic control.
Parsifal, Act III Suite, ed. Abbado: Good Friday Music
Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Götterdammerung, Siegfried’s Funeral March
The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, conductor
Siegfried, extract from Act II Scene 1
Simon O'Neill (Siegfried), tenor
Michael Volle (Wanderer), baritone
Peter Hoare (Mime), tenor
Anja Kampe (Brünnhilde), soprano
Franz-Josef Selig (Fafner), bass
Gerhild Romberger (Erda), contralto
Danae Kontora (Waldvogel), soprano
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
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Vienna Boys’ Choir
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti, conductor
Die Walküre, Act III Scene 3: Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music
Berlin Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
Produced by Ellie Ajao for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio Wales and West.
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- Fri 21 Nov 2025 16:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3
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