13895 Wagner News 174 - Wagner Society of England

“RICHARD IST LEIPZIGER”
International Richard Wagner Congress 2013
Andrea Buchanan
Members of Wagner Societies are most welcome and are indeed encouraged to attend the
annual Congresses. There is, I think, a perception among our members that these events
are only for the Committee and that the event consists mainly of business meetings of the
International Richard Wagner Verband. This is absolutely not the case as the Congress is
also very much a cultural event with many operas and concerts on offer, as well as plenty
of tours and visits to places of musical and historical interest in the area in which the
Congress is held.
Provided you can arrange your own travel, booking is a very simple process and
the prices are extremely competitive. Many of the Wagner Societies from countries such
as Germany and France attend the annual Congresses in large groups and the members
always seem to enjoy the event very much.
I particularly wanted to bring next year’s Congress to your attention as it promises
to be a very exciting and culturally rich event. It is being held in Leipzig, the city of
Wagner’s birth and the city itself, the States of Saxony and Thuringia and the Richard
Wagner Verband International are all supporting and endorsing the event, extending a
warm welcome to Wagner lovers from around the world.
The programme begins on May 17th with a performance of The Ring Without
Words, by Lorin Maazel performed by the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by
Ulf Schirmer, which will be followed by extracts from Parsifal. On the afternoon of 18th
May the Thomaner Choir of Leipzig will perform a motet with works by Wagner, Weinlig
and Biller in the Thomaskirche, while in the evening there will be a performance of Das
Rheingold at the Leipzig Opera.
Die Meistersinger follows on the 19th May with the alternative choice of an organ
recital at the Gewandhaus, while Parsifal can be seen on the 20th. The Leipzig Wagner
Society will host a gala evening on the 21st and musical events will conclude with a
performance of Götterdämmerung on the 22nd. In between this feast of operas there are
tours every day within Leipzig and to places of interest in the region as well as lectures,
exhibitions, academic conferences and symposia.
I would like to encourage our members to consider attending. While I am aware
that there will be many demands on both the time and the purses of Wagner lovers in
2013, the Leipzig Congress offers a superb range of events at reasonable prices. The
booking arrangements are completely flexible, such that participants can choose which
events they wish to attend and pay according to what they book. There is a range of
discounted prices on offer for hotels, from 3 stars (€112.50 for a double) to 5 stars (€293
for a deluxe double), and tickets for the operas range from €28 to €86. Participants are
also free to book their own accommodation.
I have a brochure for this event containing full details and I would be happy to
email this, along with booking forms, to members on request. Alternatively, see the event
website on http://www.wagner-verband-leipzig.de/ I should of course mention that The
Wagner Society will be holding its own birthday celebrations on 22nd May 2013 at the
Festival Hall (see back page for announcement) and that it will be entirely possible to
attend Leipzig and to return in time for this special day in London.
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