Wagner in shorts

Some 22,000 people on Sunday watched Christoph Marthaler's production of the Richard Wagner opera "Tristan and Isolde." Only one in 10 observed standard Bayreuth protocol: evening gown and black tie.

Many of the rest were clad in shorts and sandals and had a cocktail or bratwurst in their hand. Unlike in the theater on the Green Hill, eating and drinking were permitted during the live broadcast of the performance on Bayreuth's central square.

Katharina Wagner - the newly inaugurated co-director of the festival and great-granddaughter to the composer himself - initiated the public viewing last year and has said she wants to make it a Bayreuth tradition.

"Opera isn't elitist; it's entertaining," Katharina Wagner told reporters.

With free entry and without having to spend years on the theater's waiting list for tickets, the outdoor version is accessible to more opera fans. Those who watched the live-stream on their computers at home paid 14.90 euros ($21.10). Inside the Festspielhaus, those lucky enough to get tickets can pay up to several hundred euros for them.

Granted, the sound quality outdoors can hardly compare with Richard Wagner's specially designed theater. However, the acoustic experienced was improved over last year's debut broadcast - this time with 20 speakers running on 138,000 watts, according to the dpa news agency.

Seven cameras in the theater transported the singers to the 90-square-meter (969-square-foot) LED screen in the square. The cast, with Robert Dean Smith and Irene Theorin in the title roles, made a live appearance for their outdoor audience after the show.

Sunday's broadcast was the second of its kind at this year's Bayreuth Festival.

Author: Kate Bowen

Editor: Sean Sinico