Dimensions
163 x 241 x 31mm
In this fascinating book Nike Wagner, the great grand-daughter of the composer, exposes the dramas behind the ever-controversial Wagner family and the Bayreuth Festival. She discusses the development of the Festival; her father Wieland and the new style of Wagner production which he inaugurated after the Second World War; the endless battles within the Wagner family; their relationship to political movements - above all to the Third Reich; and the struggles for the succession of the artistic direction of the Festival.
Nike Wagner is particularly clear-eyed on the relationship between her family and many aspects of German cultural-political life. The book chronicles in detail the often painful internecine warfare within the family, and its relationship to the extreme right-wing ideologies which have dominated much of its history. The extraordinary role that Wagner and the Bayreuth Festival have played in German life is relayed with irony but no animosity, as Nike Wagner counterpoints her family story with the dramas and profound psychological tragedy in 'The Ring' cycle.
This is a powerfully argued, richly informative book, and a valuable addition to the canon of works on Wagner and Bayreuth. Nike Wagner has performed a tour de force in writing a highly intelligent piece of cultural history on Wagner's life and the legacy of his music.
