Jahrhundertring

The Jahrhundertring (Centenary Ring) was a production of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, first performed at the Bayreuth Festival in 1976. The production was a centennial celebration of both the festival and the first performance of the complete cycle (which took place at the inaugural festival). The production was created by a French team consisting of conductor Pierre Boulez, stage director Patrice Chéreau, stage designer Richard Peduzzi, costume designer Jacques Schmidt, and lighting designer André Diot.

Chéreau ignored the composer's detailed scenic instructions, setting the work in Wagner's time, during the Industrial Revolution, and the production critically treated topics such as capitalism, industrialism, and spirituality. The music interpreted by Boulez was regarded as unusually clear and bright, with light tempos which have been described as "ruthless". The premiere performance provoked controversial reactions, and was said to have nearly started a riot.

The production was run each year from 1976 to 1980, with the performance being filmed for television in 1979 and 1980. After its final showing in 1980, the production received a 45-minute standing ovation. It set a standard for productions of the Ring cycle to follow, and has been called the beginning of Regietheater ('director's theater').