As part of the RIWA project, the book „Bayreuth as Theatre: Towards a History of the Festival“ by Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Stephan Mösch has been published by Bärenreiter/Metzler. Stephan Mösch teaches aesthetics, history and artistic practice in musical theatre at the IMT (Institute for Musical Theatre).
RIWA26 and Stephan Mösch’s book on Bayreuth as a theatre have been, and continue to be, the focus of numerous radio programmes
23 July from 5.05 pm to 6 pm SWR Kultur’s ‘Forum’ programme
The book is mentioned several times during the discussion.
25 July 2026, 8.03 pm to midnight BR Klassik
ARD Radio Festival, ‘“Do you know how it will turn out?” 150 years of the Bayreuth Festival’, presented by Bettina Volksdorf and Bernd Künzig, following the delayed broadcast of the ceremony from the Festspielhaus. Interview about the book, approx. 15 to 20 minutes
26 July 2026, 3.05 pm to 3.55 pm Deutschlandfunk Kultur
‘Musik im Gespräch: “Bayreuth as Theatre”’. Insights into 150 years of cultural history ahead of the broadcast of *Rienzi*, interview about the book, approx. 50 minutes
26 July 2026, 3.03 pm BR Klassik
ARD Radio Festival, ‘Pre-show in Bayreuth ahead of the *Rienzi* broadcast, interview about the book, approx. 15 minutes’
The book reviews have been extremely positive:
‘A challenge to the rigid Wagnerian dogmatism’ Holger Noltze, VAN Magazine, 13 May 2026
‘This insightful book transforms our entire understanding of the history of the festival.’ Dieter David Scholz, *Der Opernfreund*, 18 May 2026
“As gripping as a novel” Sylvia Schreiber, "BR Buchtipp", 9 July 2026
“What a wealth of material Stephan Mösch has skilfully distilled here – and he has a few clever twists in store to boot.” Götz Thieme, Opernwelt, July 2026 issue
“This book takes the historiography of Bayreuth to a new level.” Jens Malte Fischer, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 21 July 2026
The main book launch will take place on 27 July 2026 at the Steingraeber piano factory (Bayreuth). It will be hosted by Florian Zinnecker from „Die Zeit“.
Two days later, the other two books produced as part of RIWA26 will be presented there:
“‘It was so old, and yet it sounded so new’. Wagner Interpretation 1976 to 2026”, edited by Stephan Mösch, Christian Schaper and Thomas Seedorf (Edition Text und Kritik),
as well as Paul Simon Kranz’s doctoral thesis, produced at our HfM, entitled: “‘What seemed immeasurable to me’. A digital search for clues between tradition and innovation in productions of „Die Meistersinger“ at the Bayreuth Festival from 1963 to 2017” (published by Königshausen & Neumann) book launch