The Bayreuth Succession part 11: Peter Ruzicka talks about his role in the team...

Previous episodes of this Wagnerian docu-soap may be read here, and for new readers the background of this unique Wagnerian docu-soap is written up here.

Seems like the protagonists have been exceptionally quick (!) to follow my advice from last episode, in that Katharina Wagner and Peter Ruzicka have now given an interview to a non-tabloid magazine, Tagesspiegel (my translation).

Peter Ruzicka [in response to a statement from the interviewer, that his main role will be that of an administrator as opposed to artistic director]:
"I left the Salzburg Festival because I wanted to have more time to compose my own works. I would have said no to everyone else, besides the Bayreuth Festival. But the Wagner Festival is of major national importance, and if I am able to help out here, it is of the utmost importance not to lose this national icon."

Katharina Wagner says: " I have chosen not to comment on the malicious gossip from the past few weeks regarding the health of my father, even if that was difficult. I prefer to use my time to work on creating a concept for the Bayreuth Festival of the future. That Peter Ruzicka will help out here is absolutely wonderful for Bayreuth. He is the best."


The Nordbayrische Kurier reports that the Chairman of the Board of Directors [of the Bayreuth Festival] Toni Schmid, has been saying that the leadership of the Festival may not even be debated on Tuesday´s meeting. And it is in fact not listed high on the official menu, according to which the meeting is only a routine one focusing on standard-issues such as garden maintenance.

The most obvious conclusion to make from this statement is, that nobody wants to loose on Tuesday, and since it seems certain that Wolfgang Wagner will only cede his place to Katharina unless he be proven incapable of leading the Festival (which I doubt can be legally proven at this point), insiders may just have judged the Thielemann-K Wagner ticket not strong enough to gain the majority vote at the meeting. Which is exactly why Peter Ruzicka enters at this point...