Wolfgang Wagner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wolfgang Wagner (b. 1919) is the director (Festspielleiter) of the Bayreuth Festival, a position he assumed alongside his brother Wieland in 1951. He is the son of Siegfried Wagner, and the grandson of the German composer Richard Wagner and the great-grandson of the composer Franz Liszt. Wolfgang and Wieland Wagner are largely credited with resurrecting the famous festival following Germany's collapse after the Second World War. Under his directorship, the famous Bayreuth Festspielhaus has undergone extensive renovations.
Known for his more modern, minimalist stagings of his grandfather's works, Wagner has attracted some criticism for what is seen as his autocratic sway over the Festival. Nonetheless, he has helped make the Bayreuth one of the most popular destinations in the world of opera. There is a ten-year waiting list for tickets.
In 1994, he invited Werner Herzog (who had staged Lohengrin at Bayreuth in 1987) to make a documentary about the festival, which was released under the title Die Verwandlung der Welt in Musik (The Transformation of the World into Music).
