Bayreuth 1997

The Jakarta Post showed fine judgment in publishing on Jan. 3 a report by Tina Sturm on the state of things at the Bayreuth Festival box office in the small German town of Bayreuth. Its readership is thereby informed of the chances they stand of getting tickets for Bayreuth 1997.

However, contrary to what the title says, the battle for tickets did not start just now, eight months ahead of the festival. It has been going on for years. The allocation of tickets is a one-sided affair conducted by the festival box office after they study ticket applications from past years and more recent ones. It is a consolation for applicants that the office works efficiently. Confirmation, both affirmative and negative, comes early.

Is all this fuss worth a visit to Bayreuth for one or several operas by Richard Wagner? I think so. It is not only a matter of music. It is the ambience surrounding a tradition that is some 120 years old. It gathers the best performers worldwide, who do not necessarily give ideal performances during the festival, but who contribute to making each evening a magical experience. It is strange to see Wagnerians going to Bayreuth as if on a pilgrimage. It is unique that a composer has had such a following from before his death in 1883 until now.

The report mentions which groups in the community have greater access to tickets, but it fails to mention the Wagner societies in many western countries. Members of a Wagner society have a better chance of obtaining tickets. An American friend of mine, a society member, managed to go 12 times to Bayreuth in a span of 20 years. This man is peculiar in that the only music he takes to is Wagner.

Germans, i.e. the general public, hardly have any chance to get tickets, so they say, because the theater management prefers foreigners. But I know a German couple, owners of a small sausage factory not far from Bayreuth, who managed to go to the festival on three occasions within a period of 10 years.

Americans are not exactly famous for their knowledge of world geography. In the mid 1970s some Americans succeeded in reserving seats for the Bayreuth Festival, but when they heard about the outbreak of war in Beirut, Lebanon, they quickly canceled their bookings believing that the two places were identical.

S. HARMONO

Jakarta