In 2016, Sky broadcasted Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" live from the Bayreuth Festival. The musical director is Marek Janowski, one of the leading Wagner conductors of our time. His live recordings of all Wagner operas with the Rundfunksinfonieorchester Berlin, released a few years ago, attracted great international attention.
Frank Castorfs Inszenierung polarisierte wie schon lange keine andere Bayreuther „Ring“-Produktion und hat von Anfang an scharfe Kontroversen ausgelöst. Für den Intendanten der Berliner Volksbühne stellt das Erdöl das Rheingold unserer Zeit dar.
He has set "Die Walküre" in the Azerbaijani city of Baku, because of its oil deposits the Bolshevists occupied the country in 1920.
The live broadcast was accompanied by music journalist and presenter Axel Brüggemann.