Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen

The story of the beginning of 'New Bayreuth', in essence the resurgence of the world-famous Wagner festival after the Nazi rule, cannot be told without mentioning the name Joseph Keilberth. With the 'Ring' cycle he conducted Wieland Wagner's most extensive directing project from 1952 to 1956, plus Lohengrin' in 1953 and 'The Flying Dutchman' in 1955, both staged by Wolfgang Wagner. In 1954 and 1955, Tannhauser was added (Wieland Wagner). Keilberth, as well as Knappertsbusch, made sure Bayreuth was musically unchallenged in those early years. Joseph Keilberth (1908-1968) came to the German Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague via his work at the Opera of his hometown Karlsruhe. After being deported from Prague he worked in Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg, before becoming general music director of the Munich Nationaltheater in 1959, where on July 20, 1968, a few minutes into the second act of Tristan und Isolde, he broke down and died at the conductor's desk.