Wagner's double crescendo

The performance also marked the Asian debut of the production.

"To faithfully re-create the opera production of Bayreuth Festival is of vital importance to the success of Bayreuth in Shanghai," according to Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of SGT. This performance not only fills a longstanding gap in the local opera repertoire, but also brings the most authoritative and authentic Wagner tradition to deeply integrate into Shanghai's classical art scene. Through a continuous three-year project, a precise connection between both sides, artistic and technical, is being established for the first time, she says.

The successful performance of the opera "is not only a grand event for Sino-German cultural exchange, but it will also be an important milestone for Shanghai to become a new hub of world-class opera productions," says Xu, director of SOH.