Bayreuth Festspielhaus orchestra with the singers. Conductors must therefore retrain themselves to ignore cues from singers. The orchestra layout deployed at Bayreuth is unusual in three ways: The Festspielhaus remains the venue of the annual Bayreuth Festival, during which Wagner's later operas, such as the "Ring" cycle and "Parsifal", are given on a repertory basis. In early 2012, Katharina Wagner mentioned the need for repairs to the building, with mention specifically of roof leaks and crumbling of the red brick facade. In 2014, funding for restoration was announced at a level of approximately 30M €, primarily from public funding shared between Germany
Bayreuth Festival who reluctantly agreed to help. In January 1874, Ludwig granted 100,000 Thaler and construction on the theatre, designed by architect Gottfried Semper, started shortly thereafter. A planned 1875 debut was postponed for a year due to construction and other delays. Since its opening in 1876, the Bayreuth Festival has been a socio-cultural phenomenon. The inauguration took place on 13 August 1876, with a performance of Beethoven's "Choral" Symphony, which tradition has been repeated at every opening ever since. Then came the first performance of "Das Rheingold". Present at this unique musical event were Kaiser Wilhelm, Dom Pedro II of Brazil,