Thursday, 18 June 2026 – Dress rehearsal «Tannhäuser»
As a prelude to this weekend in June, a limited number of guests (first come, first served) already have the opportunity on Thursday evening at 5:00 p.m. at the Zurich Opera House to attend the dress rehearsal of Richard Wagner’s «Tannhäuser». The acclaimed Icelandic opera director Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson is responsible for this new production. The musical direction is in the hands of Tugan Sokhiev. A personal welcome on site will be given by the General Director of the Zurich Opera House, Mr. Matthias Schulz.
Friday, 19 June 2026 – Day trip to the Landhaus Tribschen in Lucerne
On Friday, a carefully curated day trip to Lucerne opens the «Wagner Experience». Under the guidance of the Director of the Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth, Dr. Sven Friedrich, you will visit the place where Richard Wagner himself said he spent his happiest years: his country house in Tribschen on Lake Lucerne!
The estate has always exerted a special magic on its visitors and is a Wagner site of particular historical significance. Here the composer lived for six years in family happiness with his second wife Cosima, the daughter of Franz Liszt. It is the place where Wagner’s only son Siegfried was born in 1869. Notable personalities such as King Ludwig II of Bavaria and Friedrich Nietzsche, both part of his circle of friends, visited him in his «Tribschen Idyll». On his country estate Richard Wagner worked intensively on his epoch-making work «Der Ring des Nibelungen», completed his opera «Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg», and wrote the Siegfried Idyll, which received its premiere on 25 December 1870 for Cosima’s 33rd birthday in the stairwell of the residence.
During our excursion, attention will be focused on Wagner’s years between 1866 and 1872. At the Richard Wagner Museum we will visit the original location with its unique aura and view the composer’s original Érard grand piano up close. Conversations, contextual insights, and treasures from the Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth – presented in Switzerland for the first time – will round off this wonderful spring day. Light refreshments will be provided on site for everyone.
Saturday, 20 June 2026 – City tour, concert, gala dinner
Saturday forms the heart of the weekend. In the morning, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., a comprehensive guided city walk invites you to discover Zurich in the footsteps of Richard Wagner. Among other places, we will visit the hall «Le Petit Palais» at the Hotel Baur au Lac, where the first act of «Die Walküre» received its premiere with Franz Liszt at the piano. Richard Wagner himself sang the roles of Hunding and Siegmund. Another highlight is a visit to the Villa Schönberg on the «Zurich Green Hill». Built in 1856 by Otto Wesendonck and specially remodelled for his guest Richard Wagner, it served the composer in the years 1857 to 1858 not only as an «asylum», as he called it, but also as a retreat where essential parts of «Tristan und Isolde» as well as the Wesendonck Lieder were created.
After the informative morning, there will be time for a short individual break before the next exclusive event awaits you. We invite you to a high-class song recital with two exceptional artists: Catherine Foster and Klaus Florian Vogt will present an extraordinary programme that afternoon in an intimate atmosphere at one of the most beautiful locations of the Zurich Opera House, the Mirror Hall. Admission is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and offers time for a small complimentary apéro before the concert. The concert begins at 4:00 p.m., lasts approximately 75 minutes, and takes place in a setting limited to 85 guests, exclusively for participants of the «Wagner Experience».
The recital of international standing will be rounded off with an elegant gala dinner in the magnificent halls of the renowned Zurich Haus zum Rüden. At around 5:30 p.m. we will leave the Mirror Hall together and make our way to the Haus zum Rüden, which can be reached on foot from the opera house in about ten minutes. Between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., an apéro awaits us, offering the perfect opportunity to exchange with the artists present. From 7:00 p.m. the gala dinner will be served. In a deliberately intimate setting, space is created for exchange, reflection, and conversations that Wagner’s music and its understanding invite. The evening will take place in the presence of the Director of the Bayreuth Festival, Prof. Katharina Wagner, as well as the General Director of the Zurich Opera House, Mr. Matthias Schulz. Catherine Foster, Klaus Florian Vogt, and members of the Zurich «Tannhäuser» new production will also be present. Dress code for the concert and gala dinner: festive.
Sunday, 21 June 2026 – Premiere «Tannhäuser»
The weekend concludes with the premiere of «Tannhäuser» at the Zurich Opera House. As the ticket allocation is very limited, seats will be assigned according to the order in which registrations are received. The ticket costs are not included in the «Wagner Experience» package. The special highlight of the evening awaits you afterwards: celebrate the new production with us directly on the stage of the opera house! Enjoy the view into the magnificent auditorium and, in stimulating conversation together with us, reflect on the musical impressions and on the experiences of your very own Wagner Experience.
