Which Wagner opera premiered at the Bayreuth Festival in 1882?

Richard Wagner’s Parsifal premiered at the Bayreuth Festival in 1882.

Wagner wrote both the music and libretto for Parsifal, which he called a “Bühnenweihfestspiel,” or festival drama for the consecration of the stage. Its medieval-inspired story follows the young knight Parsifal and his involvement with the guardians of the Holy Grail.

The opera was written specifically for the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, the theater Wagner established for performances of his works. For many years after the premiere, Parsifal was closely associated with Bayreuth and received special protection from unauthorized performances.

Parsifal is sometimes mixed up with Wagner’s other medieval-themed operas. Lohengrin premiered in Weimar in 1850, Tannhäuser premiered in Dresden in 1845, and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg premiered in Munich in 1868.