For the first time in its history, Richard Wagner's iconic Ring Cycle will be broadcast live from the world renowned Bayreuth Festival in Germany. Sky Arts has been granted exclusive access to the prestigious theatre founded by Wagner and its productions of the four-part operatic masterpiece: Das Rheingold, Die Walk re, Siegfried, and G tterd mmerung.
Over 21 million Sky customers in Italy, Germany, Austria, Ireland and the UK will be able to enjoy the unique work of Wagner on the Sky Arts channels across all five countries. The broadcasts have been commissioned by the Sky Arts Production Hub, a production centre based in Milan dedicated to arts programming.
UK & Ireland customers will be able to watch the complete Ring Cycle over two consecutive nights, culminating in a live transmission of G tterd mmerung simultaneously broadcast across the channels on Sunday 31 July 2016. Dedicated Wagner aficionados can watch the whole Cycle back to back from Sunday morning through to the live performance that evening.
Opera and Wagner fan Stephen Fry will interview the cast and tour the famous Bayreuth Festspielhaus specifically built and conceived by Wagner in 1876 to showcase his works. Further experts will investigate the importance of the Ring Cycle looking at its heroes and villains, its feminist icons and its controversial place in political history.
Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts UK, commented: The Ring Cycle is Wagner's epic masterpiece and is sheer operatic indulgence at its best. It is a true honour to be able to broadcast its entirety from the prestigious Bayreuth Festival for the first time in its history. This accomplishment demonstrates the power of close collaboration with our European colleagues and Sky Arts unique ability to share great masterpieces with our customers everywhere.
Katharina Wagner, director of the Bayreuth Festival, commented: I look forward to the cooperation with Sky and really appreciate its commitment. With this, many people can enjoy the performances and I believe it's in the spirit of Richard Wagner to reach as many arts fans as possible. This is a large and prestigious project, realised with state-of-the-art technology.
Composer, poet, and conductor Richard Wagner founded the Bayreuth Festival in 1876. The purpose-built auditorium enabled him to realise the full scale and potential of his works. It is now among the most important cultural festivals in Germany and is still under the guidance of the Wagner family. In 2015, Katharina, the great-granddaughter of Richard Wagner, became the director of the festival.
The Ring Cycle further demonstrates Sky's commitment to investing in the arts across Europe and complements the growing portfolio of original productions produced by the Sky Arts Production Hub since its launch last year. These include Master of Photography, a pan-European photography competition hosted by Isabella Rossellini; and The Mystery of The Lost Caravaggio, a documentary detailing the unique reproduction of the artists masterpiece, The Adoration. Sky also recently confirmed the launch of the Sky Arts channel in Germany and Austria from 21 July.
UK broadcast times
Saturday 30 July - Bayreuth Festival
8pm Wagner Documentary
9pm Das Rheingold
11.30pm Die Walk re
Sunday 31 July - Bayreuth Festival Complete Ring Cycle
4.30am Das Rheingold
7.00am Die Walk re
11.00am Siegfried
3.45pm G tterd mmerung LIVE
Notes to editors:
About Sky
Sky is Europes leading entertainment company, serving 21.7 million customers across five countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.
Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europes leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of £4.9 billion. The group employs 30,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY). For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate
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For the first time in its history, Richard Wagner's iconic Ring Cycle will be broadcast live from the world renowned Bayreuth Festival in Germany. Sky Arts has been granted exclusive access to the prestigious theatre founded by Wagner and its productions of the four-part operatic masterpiece: Das Rheingold, Die Walk re, Siegfried, and G tterd mmerung. 
