The Bayreuth Festival

The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany. My most memorable one was took place in 1951. The festival in the year was remarkable as it was its first music festival since World War II. On that evening, Beethoven's ninth symphony was performed by a German conductor, Wilhelm Furtwängler. Even now, you can get a live-recorded CD of the performance.

About fifteen years ago, I listened to the performance from the festival on a live-recorded CD and I was completely stunned by the magnificence of its performance. The performance was really energetic and attracted much interest as the dramatic recovery of the postwar music scene in Europe. I've listened to this symphony by other many performers so far. But I think no one could do it better beyond the performance in 1951. The live performance brought Beethoven's music closer to me. If there weren't that performance, my dedication to music might not be as strong as it is today.