The 150th Bayreuth Festival has begun with a joint appearance by Katharina Wagner and Michel Friedman. Politicians including Friedrich Merz and Angela Merkel attended the opening.
Katharina Wagner and Michel Friedman jointly welcomed the guests of honour. They had previously resolved a dispute after Wagner initially cancelled and later reinstated Friedman's planned speech on antisemitism.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, former Chancellor Angela Merkel and Minister President Markus Söder were among those present. Wagner emphasised the need to reject racism and chauvinism at the opening.
Wagner's opera Rienzi will be performed for the first time. Artificial intelligence supplements the production of the Ring of the Nibelung with projections.
