Loss in Bayreuth

There's no question that Wolfgang Wagner was often controversial as a director and as a person. People considered him too conservative or suggested that he was overshadowed by his brother Wieland. Critics were often underwhelmed by his work as a director even though both of his productions of the classic "Ring of the Nibelungen" opera cycle were at least technically on point.

But Wagner quickly adjusted to the critical reaction and invited renowned directors from elsewhere to take over the opera's production. All of the great Wagner directors from Hans Knappertbusch to Christian Thielemann came to Bayreuth. Perhaps his most memorable staging came in 1976 with the "Ring" production led by Patrice Chereau. Chereau, a French film and theater director, ushered in a new era in the modern reception of Wagner together with the composer and director Pierre Boulez.

The new Wagner

In recent years, unconventional productions by Heiner Mueller and Christoph Schlingensief sparked heated debate. The "workshop" concept, in which young, unknown artists were given the chance to prove themselves on stage, proved disastrous. This experiment particularly annoyed the longstanding stars of the Bayreuth stage.

Wagner's tenure had another handicap though: His mother was a friend of Adolf Hitler's. A 1970s documentary featured his mother praising Hitler as "our blessed Adolf," which proved problematic for the festival itself. Even today, the Wagner family is still trying to account for this part of its history.

Unparalleled contributions

But Wolfgang Wagner's greatest contribution to the "Ring" festival was in his practical handling of the details. He contributed like no one else to the appreciation of his grandfather's work during the 20th century, and he helped oversee more than 1,700 productions in his career. He succeeded in founding the Richard Wagner Foundation in Bayreuth in which public institutions contribute alongside the Wagner family to offer a financial safety net for the future of the Wagner festival. Under his direction, the festival has become one of the most publicized musical events in the world.

The festival's renown is part of the reason that the music world has followed the Wagner clan's conflicts so attentively. At times, there were calls that Wagner should step down and make room for someone new. He refused, insisting on his lifetime contract and the opportunity it granted him to ensure that the Wagner heritage would be preserved. He was called stubborn and cranky, but he perfected the art of knowing when to sit a battle out.

Brand name Bayreuth

Perhaps his daughters Eva and Katharina were named as his followers so that the then 89-year-old could no longer stand in the way of modernization and further progress in Bayreuth. But nevertheless, when Wolfgang Wagner stepped down from his post at the end of 2008, he withdrew as a victor. In the more than five decades in which he led the opera festival, he developed it into a brand and an event that is one of the most sought-after in the cultural arena. Each year, about 500,000 people go after the 60,000 tickets available each season - and they can encounter waiting times of up to 10 years.

Music lovers make their way alongside celebrities each year to Bayreuth - which would have remained nothing more than another Bavarian province were it not for Wolfgang Wagner. The Bayreuth Festival now mourns its director, who was at once the head of a family, a skilled organizer and a businessman. His contributions at the green hill of Bayreuth will endure.

Gudrun Stegen is the music editor for Deutsche Welle's German service. (gsw)

Editor: Kate Bowen