As expected, the Stiftungsrat ealier today elected Wolfgang Wagner´s two daughters Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier to succeed him as leader of the Bayreuth Festival.
The opponents were their cousin (Wieland Wagner´s daughter) Nike Wagner teaming up with previous Salzburg Festival, current Bastille Opera and future NYC Opera manager Gerard Mortier.
It may now be speculated whether these two will be able to lift the quality of performances in Bayreuth, something which is urgently needed. Apparently they work closely together with Christian Thielemann, which is fine as long as his influence is strictly limited to conducting the orchestra..
Eva Wagner-Pasquier is repeatedly mentioned as a very experienced operatic manager - which is true enough, but she has only been functioning on a medium management level, working as artistical advisor for those in charge. Nothing in her past work indicates she has the visions to lift the Bayreuth Festival.
The same applies for Katharina, which obviously may be attributed to her young age. Furthermore, I´d question the tactical judgement of anyone who uses Bild (Germany´s answer to The Sun) as their preferred medium for press releases.
In summary, Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Katharina represent a rather traditional choice. I´d narrowly prefer Gerard Mortier, but Nike Wagner repeatedly has demonstrated a rather well-developed talent for empty provocations and nothing much else, apart from writing an entirely useless book on her grandfather´s works. Neither are dream-teams on paper. However, we will see..
Personally I am only interested in one thing regarding the Bayreuth Festival: The musical and artistical quality. How to restore that to the highest level, is the ultimate challenge for the new management. It is in my opinion not acceptable, that vastly better Wagner performances may be seen in Berlin (State Opera). Or at the Metropolitan Opera. Or in Vienna etc. etc.
The first indication of the future will be the planning of the 2013 Ring - conductor and director, which should be released sometimes next year (if not officially, then unofficially), if previous patterns are to be followed...
This is part 20 of the Wagnerian docu-soap "The Bayreuth Succession". Previous parts may be read here, and for new readers the background of this unique Wagnerian docu-soap is written up here.
Showing posts with label the bayreuth succession - a docusoap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the bayreuth succession - a docusoap. Show all posts
Monday, 1 September 2008
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
It´s now official: Wolfgang Wagner retires from Bayreuth Festival leadership
It is now official, that Richard Wagner´s grandson Wolfgang Wagner retires as leader of the Bayreuth Festival "latest end of August" this year after more than 50 years.
Thus, Wolfgang Wagner wrote in a letter to Toni Schmid (president of the Board of the Bayreuth Festival) today. A representative of Wolfgang Wagner furthermore stated that "he does not want to block the road anymore". All involved parties (the Friends of Bayreuth, the official representatives of Bavaria etc.) seem satisfied with his decision to volunarily step down.
The Board of Directors of the Bayreuth Festival are meeting today to decide on the successor to Wolfgang Wagner. Favourites are Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier (running as a team).
Wolfgang Wagner´s retirement is fixed and unconditional, but a representative states that "he is convinced that the solution with his two daughters succeeding him is the best one" and hopes it "will be confirmed by the Board of the Festival" later today.
Full story in Kurier.
This is episode 19 of the mostly opera docusoap "The Bayreuth Succession".
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.
Thus, Wolfgang Wagner wrote in a letter to Toni Schmid (president of the Board of the Bayreuth Festival) today. A representative of Wolfgang Wagner furthermore stated that "he does not want to block the road anymore". All involved parties (the Friends of Bayreuth, the official representatives of Bavaria etc.) seem satisfied with his decision to volunarily step down.
The Board of Directors of the Bayreuth Festival are meeting today to decide on the successor to Wolfgang Wagner. Favourites are Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier (running as a team).
Wolfgang Wagner´s retirement is fixed and unconditional, but a representative states that "he is convinced that the solution with his two daughters succeeding him is the best one" and hopes it "will be confirmed by the Board of the Festival" later today.
Full story in Kurier.
This is episode 19 of the mostly opera docusoap "The Bayreuth Succession".
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.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
The Bayreuth Succession part 18: Götterdämmerung on the Green Hill - Nike refuses to give up
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.
Nike Wagner (daughter of Wieland) and thus cousin of Eva and Katharina understandably feels side-tracked by the recently announced partnership of Eva and Katharina to bid for Bayreuth Festival leadership.
She tells the respected German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine that she learned of the new partnership via a journalist on a German television channel, but she was aware that Eva Wagner-Pasquier had spent Easter in Bayreuth with Wolfgang and Katharina.
Furthermore, Nike Wagner refuses to give up, claiming that she and Eva already have submitted a proposition for Bayreuth Festival leadership to the Board of Directors on March 31. According to the newspaper Kurier, this proposition is however invalid, since it lacks Eva Wagner-Pasquiers signature.
Nike furthermore says to Berliner Morgenpost, that the Eva-Katharina partnership is in her opinion a pseudo-partnership, since she claims that Eva will retire in a couple of years, leaving Katharina in charge alone.
Whatever way one chooses to look at it, there cannot be much doubt that Nike Wagner is out. Not that she was ever really "in" in the first place.
The influential "Friends of Bayreuth" organization, on which the Festival rely on a certain degree for economical support, are very positive towards the Eva Wagner-Pasquier/Katharina Wagner constellation.
Renowned German conductor and Chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonics Christian Thielemann is still very much a member of this team. In an interview with Tagesspiegel yesterday Christian Thielemann says:
"What is closer than his solution? You could at a maximum bring forward the accusation that they had not come together much sooner. Both Eva and Katharina are Wolfgang Wagner's daughters. It may be that over time one or another wedge has been driven into their relationship. But the sisters are not so different."
He continues: "With Eva, we must first talk. I, for example, would be interested to know by what criteria the singers were cast for the "Ring" of the Berlin Philharmonic in Aix-en-Provence for which she is responsible." [I would be even more interested to know by what criteria the singers for his own Bayreuth Ring were selected..]
"First of all, this whole unworthy dispute must end", he says.
Nike Wagner (daughter of Wieland) and thus cousin of Eva and Katharina understandably feels side-tracked by the recently announced partnership of Eva and Katharina to bid for Bayreuth Festival leadership.
She tells the respected German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine that she learned of the new partnership via a journalist on a German television channel, but she was aware that Eva Wagner-Pasquier had spent Easter in Bayreuth with Wolfgang and Katharina.
Furthermore, Nike Wagner refuses to give up, claiming that she and Eva already have submitted a proposition for Bayreuth Festival leadership to the Board of Directors on March 31. According to the newspaper Kurier, this proposition is however invalid, since it lacks Eva Wagner-Pasquiers signature.
Nike furthermore says to Berliner Morgenpost, that the Eva-Katharina partnership is in her opinion a pseudo-partnership, since she claims that Eva will retire in a couple of years, leaving Katharina in charge alone.
Whatever way one chooses to look at it, there cannot be much doubt that Nike Wagner is out. Not that she was ever really "in" in the first place.
The influential "Friends of Bayreuth" organization, on which the Festival rely on a certain degree for economical support, are very positive towards the Eva Wagner-Pasquier/Katharina Wagner constellation.
Renowned German conductor and Chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonics Christian Thielemann is still very much a member of this team. In an interview with Tagesspiegel yesterday Christian Thielemann says:
"What is closer than his solution? You could at a maximum bring forward the accusation that they had not come together much sooner. Both Eva and Katharina are Wolfgang Wagner's daughters. It may be that over time one or another wedge has been driven into their relationship. But the sisters are not so different."
He continues: "With Eva, we must first talk. I, for example, would be interested to know by what criteria the singers were cast for the "Ring" of the Berlin Philharmonic in Aix-en-Provence for which she is responsible." [I would be even more interested to know by what criteria the singers for his own Bayreuth Ring were selected..]
"First of all, this whole unworthy dispute must end", he says.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
The Bayreuth Succession part 17: Wolfgang Wagner hints at retirement and suggests a joint leadership between Katharina and Eva
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.
After a long break, the docu-soap on the leadership to the Bayreuth Festival seems to continue.
Festival Manager (and grandson to Richard Wagner) the 88-year old (and ailing, judged on the photographs from his wife´s funeral last year) Wolfgang Wagner has now for the first time hinted that he might retire as head of the Festival. He suggests a joint leadership consisting of his two daughters Katharina Wagner (29) and Eva Wagner-Pasquier (63).
In contrast to previous reports from the two ladies, in which they strongly denied any possibility of teaming up for the Festival leadership, they now state that cooperation may be possible "under certain circumstances". In this leadership structure there may still be room for both German star-conductor Christian Thielemann and ex-Salzburg Festival Intendant Peter Ruzicka. Apparently Wolfgang Wagner has presented this suggestion to the State of Bavaria, who, through Minister of Culture and Science Thomas Goppel, in a letter to Wolfgang Wagner has supported the suggestion (according to Katharina Wagner).
This is surprising news indeed, and I may only interpret it as a combination of 1) that Wolfgang Wagner is indeed not capable of continuing to run the Festival, 2) that Wolfgang Wagner is unsure whether the Katharina Wagner-Christian Thielemann-Peter Ruzicka bill may gain sufficient support at the Board Meeting, 3) that Eva Wagner-Pasquier is equally unsure of her own victory, and (maybe most importantly) 4) that the Board are working on options that completely exclude the Wagner Family from Future Festival leadership.
So in order to keep the business "in the family", this is the secure option. And it looks like a winning ticket, indeed. But, as events during the last year have shown, nothing is certain, and new players may emerge at any time.
The meeting of the Board of Directors to (allegedly) decide on future Festival leadership will take place on the 29th of April. At this meeting it appears that Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier will present their visions for the future of the Bayreuth Festival.
Sources:
Die Welt, Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Kurier, Abendzeitung (all in German). Also covered at Sounds and Fury (in English).
After a long break, the docu-soap on the leadership to the Bayreuth Festival seems to continue.
Festival Manager (and grandson to Richard Wagner) the 88-year old (and ailing, judged on the photographs from his wife´s funeral last year) Wolfgang Wagner has now for the first time hinted that he might retire as head of the Festival. He suggests a joint leadership consisting of his two daughters Katharina Wagner (29) and Eva Wagner-Pasquier (63).
In contrast to previous reports from the two ladies, in which they strongly denied any possibility of teaming up for the Festival leadership, they now state that cooperation may be possible "under certain circumstances". In this leadership structure there may still be room for both German star-conductor Christian Thielemann and ex-Salzburg Festival Intendant Peter Ruzicka. Apparently Wolfgang Wagner has presented this suggestion to the State of Bavaria, who, through Minister of Culture and Science Thomas Goppel, in a letter to Wolfgang Wagner has supported the suggestion (according to Katharina Wagner).
Peter Ruzicka comments: "I think this is the best solution. The two ladies may start immediately. I will then concentrate on composing and look forward to receive honorary tickets for the Festival productions".
This is surprising news indeed, and I may only interpret it as a combination of 1) that Wolfgang Wagner is indeed not capable of continuing to run the Festival, 2) that Wolfgang Wagner is unsure whether the Katharina Wagner-Christian Thielemann-Peter Ruzicka bill may gain sufficient support at the Board Meeting, 3) that Eva Wagner-Pasquier is equally unsure of her own victory, and (maybe most importantly) 4) that the Board are working on options that completely exclude the Wagner Family from Future Festival leadership.
So in order to keep the business "in the family", this is the secure option. And it looks like a winning ticket, indeed. But, as events during the last year have shown, nothing is certain, and new players may emerge at any time.
The meeting of the Board of Directors to (allegedly) decide on future Festival leadership will take place on the 29th of April. At this meeting it appears that Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier will present their visions for the future of the Bayreuth Festival.
Sources:
Die Welt, Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Kurier, Abendzeitung (all in German). Also covered at Sounds and Fury (in English).
Saturday, 2 February 2008
The Bayreuth Succession part 16: A new company, lost letters and the resignation of Gottfried Wagner´s leadership ambitions
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.
Exerpts from Kurier:
Katharina Wagner and Wolfgang Wagner have jointly founded the "BF media GmBh" - (BF = Bayreuther Festspiele), a company with the purpose of "the commercial exploitation of rights and products in the field of performing arts, especially musical theater". [ehh..what?]
The laywer Stefan Müller explains that the company is funded 1) for tax reasons, but probably more importantly as a vehicle for 2) transferring economical risks for certain arrangements away from Wolfgang Wagner´s personal assets and to this fund. As an example of such activities, concerts in Tokyo by Bayreuth Festival participants were mentioned. With the new company, the enomic risks would now be transferred to the "BF Medien GmbH". The company's purpose has been deliberately broad in the outset, Mueller said in an interview with the Nordbayerischer Kurier. Concerts, internet, host games, and much more could come along. Katharina Wagner will be Chief executive. [Just another step on her way to cementate her position as the legitimate heir]
Gottfried Wagner (60) , son of Wolfgang Wagner claims that he is not interested in Bayreuth Festival Leadership [wise decision since he wouldn´t stand any chance of getting it should he be thus inclined...]
He is, however interested in the fate of the 278 letters of Winifried Wagner, which he claimed "his uncle and father manipulated and modified to get through the denazification process after the war" [probably true].
And that in the future the complete Festival Archives should be opened [agreed, but I fear it will never happen, and there are also quite a few letters in Munich which Winifried Wagner gave to a relative, that I´d very much like to see examined in public]
Apparently Gottfried Wagner has some kind of hausverbot on the Green Hill, but the interviewer didn´t succeed in finding out whether he was actually allowed to show up at this summer´s Festival or not [he probably doesn´t know it himself].
Exerpts from Kurier:
Katharina Wagner and Wolfgang Wagner have jointly founded the "BF media GmBh" - (BF = Bayreuther Festspiele), a company with the purpose of "the commercial exploitation of rights and products in the field of performing arts, especially musical theater". [ehh..what?]
The laywer Stefan Müller explains that the company is funded 1) for tax reasons, but probably more importantly as a vehicle for 2) transferring economical risks for certain arrangements away from Wolfgang Wagner´s personal assets and to this fund. As an example of such activities, concerts in Tokyo by Bayreuth Festival participants were mentioned. With the new company, the enomic risks would now be transferred to the "BF Medien GmbH". The company's purpose has been deliberately broad in the outset, Mueller said in an interview with the Nordbayerischer Kurier. Concerts, internet, host games, and much more could come along. Katharina Wagner will be Chief executive. [Just another step on her way to cementate her position as the legitimate heir]
Gottfried Wagner (60) , son of Wolfgang Wagner claims that he is not interested in Bayreuth Festival Leadership [wise decision since he wouldn´t stand any chance of getting it should he be thus inclined...]
He is, however interested in the fate of the 278 letters of Winifried Wagner, which he claimed "his uncle and father manipulated and modified to get through the denazification process after the war" [probably true].
And that in the future the complete Festival Archives should be opened [agreed, but I fear it will never happen, and there are also quite a few letters in Munich which Winifried Wagner gave to a relative, that I´d very much like to see examined in public]
Apparently Gottfried Wagner has some kind of hausverbot on the Green Hill, but the interviewer didn´t succeed in finding out whether he was actually allowed to show up at this summer´s Festival or not [he probably doesn´t know it himself].
Friday, 28 December 2007
The Bayreuth Succession part 15: What is going on?
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.
The answer to the above question: Not much....
Gudrun Wagner death was acknowledged with a public ceremony in Bayreuth on December 13th (more here)
Christoph Schlingensief claims never really having liked directing theater and now he intends to focus on opera. And he wouldn´t mind running the Bayreuth Festival together with some equal-minded friends (not an option).
The Intendant of the Stuttgart Opera claims not to be interested in running the Bayreuth Festival (ehhh. good to know I guess...more here)
The protagonists (Katharina Wagner/Thielemann/Ruzicka vs. Eva/Nike Wagner) are supposed to be delivering written-up Festival management strategies to the Board of Directors in the near future.
Christian Thielemann by the way is conducting the Meistersinger revival at the Wiener Staatsoper in January (more on that later).
The answer to the above question: Not much....
Gudrun Wagner death was acknowledged with a public ceremony in Bayreuth on December 13th (more here)
Christoph Schlingensief claims never really having liked directing theater and now he intends to focus on opera. And he wouldn´t mind running the Bayreuth Festival together with some equal-minded friends (not an option).
The Intendant of the Stuttgart Opera claims not to be interested in running the Bayreuth Festival (ehhh. good to know I guess...more here)
The protagonists (Katharina Wagner/Thielemann/Ruzicka vs. Eva/Nike Wagner) are supposed to be delivering written-up Festival management strategies to the Board of Directors in the near future.
Christian Thielemann by the way is conducting the Meistersinger revival at the Wiener Staatsoper in January (more on that later).
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Part 13 (The Bayreuth Succession): Smoke screens...and Jürgen Flimm enters the stage
After the Board of Directors did not really address the issue of Wolfgang Wagners successor at their much anticipated meeting last Tuesday, German medias have been overflowed by various statements from and around the protagonists:
According to Jürgen Flimm, Wolfgang Wagner´s wife Gudrun is the real administrator of the Festival, since W Wagner has advanced Alzheimers according to a German music critic (quoted from Times Online)
Schmidt from the Friends of Bayreuth now states, that Wolfgang Wagner´s immediate retirement is not warranted and that his previous statements to that account are misquoted ( from Kurier)
Apparently Wolfgang Wagner has lawyers looking into the whole matter of his succession, since it has been claimed that he himself may actually have the power to appoint his own successor and that the Board of Directors has no legal authority in that matter (from Kurier)
And Jürgen Flimm (director of the 2000-Bayreuth Ring and intendant of the Salzburg Festival) is quite critical of the Festival Administration in an interview with DasErste (excerpts in my translation below):
"You are treated badly there [in Bayreuth] as a director" says Jürgen Flimm. "You sign the contract, and from there you will be treated badly. Anyone can confirm this."
"Wolfgang belongs to a totally different generation. A generation, used to ways of which we - and I am also not quite young myself [he is 66] - are not used. His is a generation of warlords and lieutenants. And he also belongs to a generation of people who got wonderfully along with the Nazis. "Uncle Wolf" was there - and gave them cameras as gifts. There are films by Wieland, made for "Uncle Wolf". This is a different way of thinking! Wieland and Wolfgang simply grew up in another atmosphere, with the awful Houston Stewart Chamberlain [husband of R. Wagner´s daughter Eva and friendly with Hitler. Died 1930] among others, and raised by Winifred, who was on excellent terms with Hitler. And they spent their formative years in an atmosphere like that".
"Schlingensief had his luck with the Parsifal [Flimm is definitely ironic here] only because Martin Kušej left. Kušej could not endure to deal with the Wagners and eventually got up and left. The same thing with Lars von Trier. He came to Bayreuth, presented his concept and then strangely vanished."
"Katharina will have problems with her mother," says Jürgen Flimm. "Gudrun Wagner is the strong woman on the hill and does not exactly have the best influence on the Festival-to put it mildly. Everybody knows this, and many who have worked there say that Gudrun at the moment is the main problem of the Festival. Wolfgang is old - that you can not blame him. Gudrun is leading the Festival. Can Katharina detach herself from this very strong woman?"
And he continues: "Eva is a major international opera manager who knows the theater business. She has, for example, been a representative of the New York Metropolitan Opera and is running things excellently at the Festival in Aix-en-Provence. Eva is a great musical theater manager!"
Indeed! Looks to me like Jürgen Flimm may consider teaming up with Eva Wagner-Pasquier. His comments on Wolfgang Wagner are pretty harsh for a Salzburg Festival intendant with no interest in the matter, other than enlightening the public, obviously......
It is very difficult to get an idea what is exactly going on right now..I have a clear feeling that smoke is being layed out and that things may not be what they seem...
According to Jürgen Flimm, Wolfgang Wagner´s wife Gudrun is the real administrator of the Festival, since W Wagner has advanced Alzheimers according to a German music critic (quoted from Times Online)
Schmidt from the Friends of Bayreuth now states, that Wolfgang Wagner´s immediate retirement is not warranted and that his previous statements to that account are misquoted ( from Kurier)
Apparently Wolfgang Wagner has lawyers looking into the whole matter of his succession, since it has been claimed that he himself may actually have the power to appoint his own successor and that the Board of Directors has no legal authority in that matter (from Kurier)
And Jürgen Flimm (director of the 2000-Bayreuth Ring and intendant of the Salzburg Festival) is quite critical of the Festival Administration in an interview with DasErste (excerpts in my translation below):
"You are treated badly there [in Bayreuth] as a director" says Jürgen Flimm. "You sign the contract, and from there you will be treated badly. Anyone can confirm this."
"Wolfgang belongs to a totally different generation. A generation, used to ways of which we - and I am also not quite young myself [he is 66] - are not used. His is a generation of warlords and lieutenants. And he also belongs to a generation of people who got wonderfully along with the Nazis. "Uncle Wolf" was there - and gave them cameras as gifts. There are films by Wieland, made for "Uncle Wolf". This is a different way of thinking! Wieland and Wolfgang simply grew up in another atmosphere, with the awful Houston Stewart Chamberlain [husband of R. Wagner´s daughter Eva and friendly with Hitler. Died 1930] among others, and raised by Winifred, who was on excellent terms with Hitler. And they spent their formative years in an atmosphere like that".
"Schlingensief had his luck with the Parsifal [Flimm is definitely ironic here] only because Martin Kušej left. Kušej could not endure to deal with the Wagners and eventually got up and left. The same thing with Lars von Trier. He came to Bayreuth, presented his concept and then strangely vanished."
"Katharina will have problems with her mother," says Jürgen Flimm. "Gudrun Wagner is the strong woman on the hill and does not exactly have the best influence on the Festival-to put it mildly. Everybody knows this, and many who have worked there say that Gudrun at the moment is the main problem of the Festival. Wolfgang is old - that you can not blame him. Gudrun is leading the Festival. Can Katharina detach herself from this very strong woman?"
And he continues: "Eva is a major international opera manager who knows the theater business. She has, for example, been a representative of the New York Metropolitan Opera and is running things excellently at the Festival in Aix-en-Provence. Eva is a great musical theater manager!"
Indeed! Looks to me like Jürgen Flimm may consider teaming up with Eva Wagner-Pasquier. His comments on Wolfgang Wagner are pretty harsh for a Salzburg Festival intendant with no interest in the matter, other than enlightening the public, obviously......
It is very difficult to get an idea what is exactly going on right now..I have a clear feeling that smoke is being layed out and that things may not be what they seem...
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
BAYREUTH breaking news (sort of..): No decision as yet...( Bayreuth Succession part 12)
The Board of Directors of the Bayreuth Festival held their long awaited meeting tonight regarding a possible successor to Wolfgang Wagner (88) as head of the Bayreuth Festival.
According to Der Spiegel:
Wolfgang Wagner was not present at his meeting, but his lawyer stated that he had no plans to retire.
Several Board members publicly expressed doubts of the suitability of the K Wagner/Thielemann/Ruzicka constellation.
No decision regarding Wolfgang Wagner´s successor was made
All members of the Wagner family interested in leading the Festival were invited to present their concepts to the Board of Directors at a later meeting.
So it seems this docu-soap may continue for some time...
According to Der Spiegel:
Wolfgang Wagner was not present at his meeting, but his lawyer stated that he had no plans to retire.
Several Board members publicly expressed doubts of the suitability of the K Wagner/Thielemann/Ruzicka constellation.
No decision regarding Wolfgang Wagner´s successor was made
All members of the Wagner family interested in leading the Festival were invited to present their concepts to the Board of Directors at a later meeting.
So it seems this docu-soap may continue for some time...
Sunday, 4 November 2007
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...
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...
The Bayreuth Succession episode 10: Peter Ruzicka enters the scene
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.
For some obscure reason, the main protagonists of this drama continue to communicate their statements to the German tabloid press. This time Katharina Wagner chooses the tabloid Bild (to be published in Mondays edition) to announce the cooperation with Peter Ruzicka alongside herself and Thielemann as candidates for the Festivals future leadership:
"I am happy, that with the cooperation of Ruzicka and Thielemann, the best in their respective fields will help assure a good future for the Bayreuth Festival. This team is really capable of doing it, and this is the best possible solution for the Festival", says Katharina Wagner.
Now, Peter Ruzicka is not just the guy next door: Apart from being a composer and conductor, he was artistical director of the Salzburg Festival from 2001-6.
So why bring him in? Obviously Katharina´s main advisers (presumably her father would be among them) have judged the ticket Thielemann-K Wagner uncertain to gather a majority of votes on Tuesday. Therefore Ruzicka. Wonder if he really will be satisfied to play a "strictly administrative" part and not be involved in artistical decisions, as Katharina Wagner has stated previously that any collaborator would have to. I would very much doubt that.
I am not going to quote the numerous comments in German press and newsgroups guessing on the outcome on Tuesday: In fact one´s guess is not better than the others..
But if I may offer one (free!) piece of advice to the protagonists: If you don´t want your lives to be scrutinized in the tabloid press, you may consider alternative sources of spreading your information (although it is understandable if the Katharina Wagner-Christian Thielemann team is not too fond of Der Spiegel after they launched a very sharp anti-Thielemann campaign in 2001 accusing him of conservatism and right-wing sympathies among other things).
For some obscure reason, the main protagonists of this drama continue to communicate their statements to the German tabloid press. This time Katharina Wagner chooses the tabloid Bild (to be published in Mondays edition) to announce the cooperation with Peter Ruzicka alongside herself and Thielemann as candidates for the Festivals future leadership:
"I am happy, that with the cooperation of Ruzicka and Thielemann, the best in their respective fields will help assure a good future for the Bayreuth Festival. This team is really capable of doing it, and this is the best possible solution for the Festival", says Katharina Wagner.
Now, Peter Ruzicka is not just the guy next door: Apart from being a composer and conductor, he was artistical director of the Salzburg Festival from 2001-6.
So why bring him in? Obviously Katharina´s main advisers (presumably her father would be among them) have judged the ticket Thielemann-K Wagner uncertain to gather a majority of votes on Tuesday. Therefore Ruzicka. Wonder if he really will be satisfied to play a "strictly administrative" part and not be involved in artistical decisions, as Katharina Wagner has stated previously that any collaborator would have to. I would very much doubt that.
I am not going to quote the numerous comments in German press and newsgroups guessing on the outcome on Tuesday: In fact one´s guess is not better than the others..
But if I may offer one (free!) piece of advice to the protagonists: If you don´t want your lives to be scrutinized in the tabloid press, you may consider alternative sources of spreading your information (although it is understandable if the Katharina Wagner-Christian Thielemann team is not too fond of Der Spiegel after they launched a very sharp anti-Thielemann campaign in 2001 accusing him of conservatism and right-wing sympathies among other things).
Monday, 29 October 2007
The Bayreuth Succession episode 9: Waiting for November 6th...
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.
After a long period of complete silence by the protagonists, the Honorary President of the Friends of Bayreuth named Edgard Hilger has decided to speak his mind. Again the tabloid Bunte is the chosen medium:
["If the Bayreuth Festival does not get a new director soon, I fear for the future of this world-class institution," he says and continues: "All insiders know, that Wolfgang Wagner due to his health condition has not been running the Festival on his own for quite some time. And since that was a condition for his life-time contract, I now consider this to be expired. Wolfgang Wagner may have a contract for life. But the condition was that he remain in "full legal capacity".
An anonymous member of the Board of Directors (of the Festival) further states that : "Wolfgang Wagner has to be present at the meeting at November 6". If not "we will not keep postponing the meetings and invite him again and again...". Furthermore, this anonymous source is certain that 2008 will see a new Festival Director. ]
The push for change by the involved parties is not surprising. The scheme of the Friends of Bayreuth is however not apparent: Obviously they will back the candidate guaranteeing them maximum influence...
And an up-date on the doings of the protagonists:
Katharina Wagner - has been seen at the premiere of Claus Guth´s Meistersinger in Dresden.
Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Nike Wagner - have not been seen.
Christian Thielemann – has been seen on the podium in Munich this weekend conducting his first performances of the season with the Munich Philharmonics in an all-Strauss programme (reviewed here by ionarts). A quick look at Christian Thielemann´s conducting schedule this year finds him focusing almost solely on Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner (as usual) - but also on Pfitzner, whose music Thielemann finds very underrated (one non-musical reason undoubtedly being Pfitzner´s not all-to-clean record during the Second World War, to put it mildly). Politically, it is not a very smart move of Christian Thielemann to begin championing his music, particularly when he himself has previously been accused of both right-wing sympathies and conservatism (which he denies and probably rightly so, in my opinion). Actually, the only reason I can possibly imagine for him playing this music is that he likes it.
So....Richard Strauss, probably the most loved composer in Munich, exponent of the Great German Cultural Tradition as well as Thielemann, the magnificent Richard Strauss (and Wagner) conductor. Surely, the conservative Friends of Bayreuth will back this man as leader of the Bayreuth Festival guaranteeing the Great German Cultural Tradition to continue in Bayreuth?? And even if you don´t care about the Great German Cultural Tradition - isn´t he the man to back anyway, in lack of serious competition? A world-class conductor teaming up with Wagner´s designated heir against two low-key operatic/music festival managers? And whatever you may think of Christian Thielemann´s abilities to run the Bayreuth Festival, he undoubtedly has star quality. Which the Bayreuth Festival needs as well.
Expect Thielemann to conduct marvellous performances in Bayreuth, but do not expect him to bring major changes to the Festival Administration. Nothing in his past career (which includes being music director for the Deutsche Oper Berlin) has suggested that he will.
After a long period of complete silence by the protagonists, the Honorary President of the Friends of Bayreuth named Edgard Hilger has decided to speak his mind. Again the tabloid Bunte is the chosen medium:
["If the Bayreuth Festival does not get a new director soon, I fear for the future of this world-class institution," he says and continues: "All insiders know, that Wolfgang Wagner due to his health condition has not been running the Festival on his own for quite some time. And since that was a condition for his life-time contract, I now consider this to be expired. Wolfgang Wagner may have a contract for life. But the condition was that he remain in "full legal capacity".
An anonymous member of the Board of Directors (of the Festival) further states that : "Wolfgang Wagner has to be present at the meeting at November 6". If not "we will not keep postponing the meetings and invite him again and again...". Furthermore, this anonymous source is certain that 2008 will see a new Festival Director. ]
The push for change by the involved parties is not surprising. The scheme of the Friends of Bayreuth is however not apparent: Obviously they will back the candidate guaranteeing them maximum influence...
And an up-date on the doings of the protagonists:
Katharina Wagner - has been seen at the premiere of Claus Guth´s Meistersinger in Dresden.
Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Nike Wagner - have not been seen.
Christian Thielemann – has been seen on the podium in Munich this weekend conducting his first performances of the season with the Munich Philharmonics in an all-Strauss programme (reviewed here by ionarts). A quick look at Christian Thielemann´s conducting schedule this year finds him focusing almost solely on Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner (as usual) - but also on Pfitzner, whose music Thielemann finds very underrated (one non-musical reason undoubtedly being Pfitzner´s not all-to-clean record during the Second World War, to put it mildly). Politically, it is not a very smart move of Christian Thielemann to begin championing his music, particularly when he himself has previously been accused of both right-wing sympathies and conservatism (which he denies and probably rightly so, in my opinion). Actually, the only reason I can possibly imagine for him playing this music is that he likes it.
So....Richard Strauss, probably the most loved composer in Munich, exponent of the Great German Cultural Tradition as well as Thielemann, the magnificent Richard Strauss (and Wagner) conductor. Surely, the conservative Friends of Bayreuth will back this man as leader of the Bayreuth Festival guaranteeing the Great German Cultural Tradition to continue in Bayreuth?? And even if you don´t care about the Great German Cultural Tradition - isn´t he the man to back anyway, in lack of serious competition? A world-class conductor teaming up with Wagner´s designated heir against two low-key operatic/music festival managers? And whatever you may think of Christian Thielemann´s abilities to run the Bayreuth Festival, he undoubtedly has star quality. Which the Bayreuth Festival needs as well.
Expect Thielemann to conduct marvellous performances in Bayreuth, but do not expect him to bring major changes to the Festival Administration. Nothing in his past career (which includes being music director for the Deutsche Oper Berlin) has suggested that he will.
Thursday, 11 October 2007
The Bayreuth Succession - episode 8: The silence...
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.
Episode 8: The silence..
Katharina Wagner has not given any interviews for two weeks.
Christian Thielemann has not given any interviews apart from the one, declaring his candidacy.
Eva Wagner-Pasquier has only given one additional interview to a German radio station declaring her joint candidacy with Nike Wagner, who has not given any interviews either.
In short: Nothing is happening OR major things are probably happening, just behind closed doors. Counting down to November 6..
Episode 8: The silence..
Katharina Wagner has not given any interviews for two weeks.
Christian Thielemann has not given any interviews apart from the one, declaring his candidacy.
Eva Wagner-Pasquier has only given one additional interview to a German radio station declaring her joint candidacy with Nike Wagner, who has not given any interviews either.
In short: Nothing is happening OR major things are probably happening, just behind closed doors. Counting down to November 6..
Monday, 1 October 2007
Eva Wagner-Pasquier breaks the silence in episode 7 of "The Bayreuth succession"
Previous episodes of mostly opera´s highly successful Wagnerian docu-soap may be read here, and for new readers the background of this unique Wagnerian docu-soap is written up here.
Episode 7 presents the first interview with Eva Wagner-Pasquier given to the magazine "Bunte":
“I do not feel too old or over my zenith at all. I am intellectually challenged every day and I am ready. But this time, the Festival Director should resign and not invoke his life-time contract if he doesn´t agree with the Board of Directors choice. What happened in 2001 should not be repeated [background on what happened in 2001 here]. The resolution from 2001 [to put her in charge of the Festival] however, is still valid, in principle."
Furthermore, she doesn´t think her father´s life-time contract valid anymore:
"It expired in my opinion, because my father does not lead the Festival alone any longer, which is clear to everyone and also public knowledge...I find it a humiliating end to my father´s otherwise valuable work for him to be used like that.....My goal is to celebrate Wagner´s 200-year in 2013 - a great challenge."
On Katharina Wagner:
"I have only met her twice - briefly....I find it inconceivable to run the Bayreuth Festival with Katharina - not possible in any way. It would be better for her to collect some years of experience after such a vertical take-off [after the Meistersinger debut in Bayreuth]. She is only 29 and has enough time. Furthermore, my younger sister will have to rid herself from suspicion that she is controlled by her mother.”
On her personal relationship with Wolfgang and Gudrun Wagner:
Eva W-P would still like to meet her father again [after 6 years]. If she could still love him?
"It is difficult if you cannot get into the fortress where he sits"...
“I regret that she [Gudrun Wagner, her stepmother] from the outset actively worked towards the alienation of a father from his children from first marriage.” Eva W-P and her brother Gottfried were kicked out from their home in Bayreuth 1976 from one day to the next. “I felt offended. That hurt me very much and destroyed our poor mother. You need years to get over something like that.”
And finally:
"It disturbs me that the image of the Wagner family has most of all become like a Soap Opera."
[Just wondering:
If becoming a Soap Opera figure concerns Eva W-P, then why did she chose a notoriously unreliable tabloid like Bunte (just look at their front page) to bring forward her version of the story]...
Episode 7 presents the first interview with Eva Wagner-Pasquier given to the magazine "Bunte":
“I do not feel too old or over my zenith at all. I am intellectually challenged every day and I am ready. But this time, the Festival Director should resign and not invoke his life-time contract if he doesn´t agree with the Board of Directors choice. What happened in 2001 should not be repeated [background on what happened in 2001 here]. The resolution from 2001 [to put her in charge of the Festival] however, is still valid, in principle."
Furthermore, she doesn´t think her father´s life-time contract valid anymore:
"It expired in my opinion, because my father does not lead the Festival alone any longer, which is clear to everyone and also public knowledge...I find it a humiliating end to my father´s otherwise valuable work for him to be used like that.....My goal is to celebrate Wagner´s 200-year in 2013 - a great challenge."
On Katharina Wagner:
"I have only met her twice - briefly....I find it inconceivable to run the Bayreuth Festival with Katharina - not possible in any way. It would be better for her to collect some years of experience after such a vertical take-off [after the Meistersinger debut in Bayreuth]. She is only 29 and has enough time. Furthermore, my younger sister will have to rid herself from suspicion that she is controlled by her mother.”
On her personal relationship with Wolfgang and Gudrun Wagner:
Eva W-P would still like to meet her father again [after 6 years]. If she could still love him?
"It is difficult if you cannot get into the fortress where he sits"...
“I regret that she [Gudrun Wagner, her stepmother] from the outset actively worked towards the alienation of a father from his children from first marriage.” Eva W-P and her brother Gottfried were kicked out from their home in Bayreuth 1976 from one day to the next. “I felt offended. That hurt me very much and destroyed our poor mother. You need years to get over something like that.”
And finally:
"It disturbs me that the image of the Wagner family has most of all become like a Soap Opera."
[Just wondering:
If becoming a Soap Opera figure concerns Eva W-P, then why did she chose a notoriously unreliable tabloid like Bunte (just look at their front page) to bring forward her version of the story]...
Sunday, 30 September 2007
The Bayreuth Succession - episode 6: Nike Wagner teaming up with Eva Wagner-Pasquier?
Previous episodes may be viewed here, and for new readers the background of this unique Wagnerian docu-soap is written up here together with the first epdisode.
Episode 6 sees the beginning of new family alliances against Katharina Wagner/Christian Thielemann.
Nike Wagner, gave an interview yesterday to the German radio station NDR, saying that:
"I can very well imagine myself leading Festivals together with my cousin Eva Wagner- Pasquier" and warned the Board of Directors not "to waste this unique chance for a new beginning in Bayreuth".
Katharina, on the other hand, has been giving approximately one interview per day this week, but not divulging any substantially new insights since her first interview (published here), except for a very slight hint to Kurier that Rienzi and Feen may be considered future Festival repertoire, as also reported here.
Unfortunately, Christian Thielemann hasn´t been giving any interviews yet - he usually manages to say something politically incorrect at least once during a long interview (to be reported here immediately, of course) unless he wisely decides to keep a low profile.
Gottfried Wagner, brother of Eva, seems to be maneuvring around a bit himself too. He apparently appeared in a television show yesterday on family and heirs, but no reports, as yet, regarding the contents of the show. He is however, a very unlikely future Intendant of the Bayreuth Festival.
Episode 6 sees the beginning of new family alliances against Katharina Wagner/Christian Thielemann.
Nike Wagner, gave an interview yesterday to the German radio station NDR, saying that:
"I can very well imagine myself leading Festivals together with my cousin Eva Wagner- Pasquier" and warned the Board of Directors not "to waste this unique chance for a new beginning in Bayreuth".
Katharina, on the other hand, has been giving approximately one interview per day this week, but not divulging any substantially new insights since her first interview (published here), except for a very slight hint to Kurier that Rienzi and Feen may be considered future Festival repertoire, as also reported here.
Unfortunately, Christian Thielemann hasn´t been giving any interviews yet - he usually manages to say something politically incorrect at least once during a long interview (to be reported here immediately, of course) unless he wisely decides to keep a low profile.
Gottfried Wagner, brother of Eva, seems to be maneuvring around a bit himself too. He apparently appeared in a television show yesterday on family and heirs, but no reports, as yet, regarding the contents of the show. He is however, a very unlikely future Intendant of the Bayreuth Festival.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
"The Bayreuth Succession" - episode 5: Wagner/Thielemann welcomes a third person on board ...
New followers of this docu-soap are advised to start by clicking here
Katharina Wagner just gave her first interview since her declarating her candidacy to run the Bayreuth Festival with Christian Thielemann...
Below the full interiew from Frankfurter Rundschau (my translation):
Mrs. Wagner, you have announced that you want to lead the Bayreuth Festival together with Christian Thielemann. What makes the couple of you irresistible?
It is not about being irresistible or not, but about presenting a concept, which is both artistically and economically founded in reality. Both Thielemann and I already held administrative positions beside our artistic work and consider ourselves capable in that field as well. However we would not in principle oppose a third person who supports us, in the leadership team.
What qualities should this third person have?
It would be very helpful for both Christian Thielemann and me, if a third person focusing entirely on the economic aspects of the festivals was part of the team. That could be something like a commercial managing director, a position which have been filled successfully in other opera houses. If it were practically feasible, we would not oppose such a construction.
Could you imagine that person to be Eva Wagner-Pasquier or Nike Wagner?
Only with difficulty [in german: Das kann ich mir nur schwer vorstellen]. This third person would have to occupy a strictly administrative role, because the artistic side would be taken care off by Thielemann and me.
What about someone like Peter Ruzicka[german composer and previously artistic director of the Salzburg Festival]?
That is one name, but there are also others - look for example at the opera house in Frankfurt, or look the model Thielemann has applied in Munich, which he has Mr. Müller at his side.
In your concept you are very clear: In Bayreuth only the traditional 10 works of Wagner will be played?
That is not completely correct. A new management can not decide alone whether it wishes to expand the repertoire. It is against the Festival Foundation- for such projects you´ll need a majority in the Board of Directors as well. Apart from that, it would be totally irrational to play things in Bayreuth which do not benefit from the special acoustics of the Festival House. Therefore Thielemann´s suggestion for public "listening auditions" in order to examine these issues are needed. But this is a rather marginal issues - the core concept is much more important.
But exactly in Bayreuth it is close to being a core issue. Which visions are possible with only one premiere a year and a fixed repertoire?A more boring director job is hardly available?
But that is exactly the attraction and challenge of Bayreuth: That there is only ten works and a limited Festival period. We want to preserve the “myth of Bayreuth” in all its complexity and contradictoryness, not uncritically but neither seeking to destroy, rather to examine its relevance for our time. On the one hand we seek to preserve, on the other hand we seek continuously to develop. It would be a lie to promise: “I´ll make everything completely differently.” A new leadership cannot promise that without placing everything in danger.
It is however not entirely clear, which changes you actually want to make? Or is everything to basically remain the same?
Bayreuth must assume the role of artistic pioneer with daring interpretations again. We have, as you correctly state, only one production a year - but we must get simply the best artists. Of course it is also about arranging the run of performances according to dramaturgic considerations. On the other side we need a new public structure. We cannot assume unfortunately that the Bayreuth Festivals is sold out constantly for the next 50 years . Therefore we urgently need a new marketing concept.
How is that supposed to look?
Without getting too much into detail, I would nevertheless like to say that it is important us to make the Bayreuth Festival more accessible, also for those not being able to personally attend the Festival. It is about making the Bayreuth Festival accessible to a broader public.
But that doesn´t that contradict your main purpose, the keeping of the myth? Which is nevertheless also based on the uniqueness and exclusivity of the Festival.
Of course, but it also raises the question again and again, by which means should I my goals? And regarding the transmission we have today far more possibilities than in earlier years. We should use those, we live in 21st century. The “real” performances remain those in the Festival House of course, which are the basis of everything else. But even if we have an interested public and a sold off house in the future, we must reach the people,“at home” where they are - and cannot be done anymore without DVD and Internet. You may induce curiosity only if you give people a sample.
Mrs. Wagner, that all sounds beautiful, but the vision cannot alone be to open Bayreuth to the multi-media?
No, that is only one means [of obtaining funding]. We understand that the public donations cannot be increased further. Thus we need concepts in the futures capable of attracting a new clientele. We are concerned to reach additional sponsors, besides the for many years faithful Friends of Bayreuth in order to obtain the artistically best performances, without however completely commercializing The Festival. I favor a sophisticated and balanced middle course.
We nevertheless talk about the art. Although you were praised for your “Meistersinger”, there were criticism at the artistic achievement - at singers and orchestras. How do you want to guarantee that the Festival also musically belong to the front?
With Christian Thielemann we without doubt have the presently best musician in this fach. And regarding musical quality, the hasty criticism of the artists disturbs me. A conductor like Sebastian Weigle, who conducted led the “Meistersinger”, is definitely among the best - and he has previously been selected "Conductor of the year" by the renowned periodical Opernwelt. I find it hasty to jugde so quickly [he got very bad reviews for his conducting in Bayreuth this year]. Wait for the repremiere next year, and you´ll see. We plan to get the absolute best and most prominent conductors to Bayreuth, with whom the singer´s will love to work. Naturally you must do this intelligently, and not alone go after large names.
At the same time however, you brought amazingly old names into play: Barenboim, Harnoncourt, Neuenfels. The departure point of the recent generation probably looks different.
Now, the names mentioned are not completely insignificant and in any case they have much valuable experience. Should we leave this unused? But we think naturally at the same time also of clearly younger artists, such as Andres Nelsons from our generation. Young artists are not easy to find, and one must also observe their development. And that is also one of our major tasks, because the seasons are to a large extent preplanned until 2015. Therefore we also contract certain people from early on to the house, in order to develop ourselves together with them. It is perhaps also necessary to say to a young conductor at times: “Assist nevertheless one year here with us, even if at other houses you have already conducted the Ring - we still intend do do more work together in the future.” Only so may another “myth” develop, the one of a musical family.
The daring family is in the meantime quite blown up. Bayreuth threatens to lose the interpretation sovereignty. Each province theatre plays his works…
It unfortunately often happens that one brings strong conductors together with weak directors, or vice versa. I believe, Boulez and Chéreau with The Centennial Ring should not be a unique case. We must make that the normal case and achieve a scenic and musical level in Bayreuth which you do not have in other places.
But Wagner has now become a house-hold name..
And since more theaters play Wagner´s operas, talented artists are easier recognized. One must hear and see.
Why did you actually apply by an interview in the Frankfurter Allgemeine for the leadership and not by a letter to the donation advice? How is your relationship to this Board of Directors?
All are interested in a peaceful solution to these issues. Since this is a situation we find ourselves in for the first time in the entire history of the Festival story, of course it is a difficult process, that cannot be expected to be complete without some problems and discussions. Surely everyone understands that. For Christian Thielemann and me, it is neither about personal vanities nor about any questionable “power”, and we feel jointly responsible for Bayreuth and would gladly take more responsibility for the Festival. We do not have push ourselves in front of others. We consider the Festival too important and necessarily and unique - why should we lie - we love it. We went to the public, because already many assumptions and speculations had begun, but since the Board of Directors had not introduce the procedure for the follow-up yet, we cannot apply officially.
Do you become open to attack by having made this public application?
Perhaps, but that never interested me that so much, because as an artists worst thing you can do is to be tactical or make work in order to please. Open to attack are probably everyone who present with ideas in public, we probably may be, but the public has is a right to know what we think and what we stand for. And neither me or Christian Thielemann want to keep our plans in secret - also, because we are of the convictions that we do not benefit at all from shying away from public scrutiny.
My comments:
ehh..I am a bit baffled of this opening up to a third person. She seems to dismiss E W-P since the position will be only administrative, but welcomes a reknowned German composer and former artistical director of the Salzburg Festival? In a purely administrative capacity??!! Nevertheless I still see this as the opening for Eva W-P as a suspected would happen yesterday..
..and I fail to see the acute need for marketing strategies based on the assumption that one obviously cannot expect the house to be sold out in 50 years...well...here in Bayreuth, I´d say you can exactly expect that...what she is going about is probably new ways to finance the Festival independent from the Friends of Bayreuth....
the seasons are to a large extent preplanned until 2015 an argument against her older competitors Eva Wager-Pasquier and Nike Wagner. I simply do not believe that. Perhaps the 2013 Wotan and Brünhilde are slated, and other key figures in major productions but I´d say not much more that that. Would be very surprised if the 2014 Kundry, Gurnemanz, Parsifal, Ortrud has been hired yet... or even the 2009 Siegmund. Or the directors for these performances.
Nice of her to stand up for Weigle - it did sound like he could use some more time to get used to the unique Bayreuth Festival acoustics
And this repeated statement that Chéreau/Boulez was a unique case - what about Kupfer/Barenboim or Heine Müller/Barenboim or Jürgen Flimm/Sinopoli...As high quality as The Centenary Ring I think....
And finally: They want to attract the best singers and conductors. And what about Wolfgang Wagner? Didn´t he want to attract the best singers and conductor? Or his stated goal was perhaps just to created a mediocre festival... Just saying that it will require a good deal more than relatively cheap talk to turn this Festival around.
Katharina Wagner just gave her first interview since her declarating her candidacy to run the Bayreuth Festival with Christian Thielemann...
Below the full interiew from Frankfurter Rundschau (my translation):
Mrs. Wagner, you have announced that you want to lead the Bayreuth Festival together with Christian Thielemann. What makes the couple of you irresistible?
It is not about being irresistible or not, but about presenting a concept, which is both artistically and economically founded in reality. Both Thielemann and I already held administrative positions beside our artistic work and consider ourselves capable in that field as well. However we would not in principle oppose a third person who supports us, in the leadership team.
What qualities should this third person have?
It would be very helpful for both Christian Thielemann and me, if a third person focusing entirely on the economic aspects of the festivals was part of the team. That could be something like a commercial managing director, a position which have been filled successfully in other opera houses. If it were practically feasible, we would not oppose such a construction.
Could you imagine that person to be Eva Wagner-Pasquier or Nike Wagner?
Only with difficulty [in german: Das kann ich mir nur schwer vorstellen]. This third person would have to occupy a strictly administrative role, because the artistic side would be taken care off by Thielemann and me.
What about someone like Peter Ruzicka[german composer and previously artistic director of the Salzburg Festival]?
That is one name, but there are also others - look for example at the opera house in Frankfurt, or look the model Thielemann has applied in Munich, which he has Mr. Müller at his side.
In your concept you are very clear: In Bayreuth only the traditional 10 works of Wagner will be played?
That is not completely correct. A new management can not decide alone whether it wishes to expand the repertoire. It is against the Festival Foundation- for such projects you´ll need a majority in the Board of Directors as well. Apart from that, it would be totally irrational to play things in Bayreuth which do not benefit from the special acoustics of the Festival House. Therefore Thielemann´s suggestion for public "listening auditions" in order to examine these issues are needed. But this is a rather marginal issues - the core concept is much more important.
But exactly in Bayreuth it is close to being a core issue. Which visions are possible with only one premiere a year and a fixed repertoire?A more boring director job is hardly available?
But that is exactly the attraction and challenge of Bayreuth: That there is only ten works and a limited Festival period. We want to preserve the “myth of Bayreuth” in all its complexity and contradictoryness, not uncritically but neither seeking to destroy, rather to examine its relevance for our time. On the one hand we seek to preserve, on the other hand we seek continuously to develop. It would be a lie to promise: “I´ll make everything completely differently.” A new leadership cannot promise that without placing everything in danger.
It is however not entirely clear, which changes you actually want to make? Or is everything to basically remain the same?
Bayreuth must assume the role of artistic pioneer with daring interpretations again. We have, as you correctly state, only one production a year - but we must get simply the best artists. Of course it is also about arranging the run of performances according to dramaturgic considerations. On the other side we need a new public structure. We cannot assume unfortunately that the Bayreuth Festivals is sold out constantly for the next 50 years . Therefore we urgently need a new marketing concept.
How is that supposed to look?
Without getting too much into detail, I would nevertheless like to say that it is important us to make the Bayreuth Festival more accessible, also for those not being able to personally attend the Festival. It is about making the Bayreuth Festival accessible to a broader public.
But that doesn´t that contradict your main purpose, the keeping of the myth? Which is nevertheless also based on the uniqueness and exclusivity of the Festival.
Of course, but it also raises the question again and again, by which means should I my goals? And regarding the transmission we have today far more possibilities than in earlier years. We should use those, we live in 21st century. The “real” performances remain those in the Festival House of course, which are the basis of everything else. But even if we have an interested public and a sold off house in the future, we must reach the people,“at home” where they are - and cannot be done anymore without DVD and Internet. You may induce curiosity only if you give people a sample.
Mrs. Wagner, that all sounds beautiful, but the vision cannot alone be to open Bayreuth to the multi-media?
No, that is only one means [of obtaining funding]. We understand that the public donations cannot be increased further. Thus we need concepts in the futures capable of attracting a new clientele. We are concerned to reach additional sponsors, besides the for many years faithful Friends of Bayreuth in order to obtain the artistically best performances, without however completely commercializing The Festival. I favor a sophisticated and balanced middle course.
We nevertheless talk about the art. Although you were praised for your “Meistersinger”, there were criticism at the artistic achievement - at singers and orchestras. How do you want to guarantee that the Festival also musically belong to the front?
With Christian Thielemann we without doubt have the presently best musician in this fach. And regarding musical quality, the hasty criticism of the artists disturbs me. A conductor like Sebastian Weigle, who conducted led the “Meistersinger”, is definitely among the best - and he has previously been selected "Conductor of the year" by the renowned periodical Opernwelt. I find it hasty to jugde so quickly [he got very bad reviews for his conducting in Bayreuth this year]. Wait for the repremiere next year, and you´ll see. We plan to get the absolute best and most prominent conductors to Bayreuth, with whom the singer´s will love to work. Naturally you must do this intelligently, and not alone go after large names.
At the same time however, you brought amazingly old names into play: Barenboim, Harnoncourt, Neuenfels. The departure point of the recent generation probably looks different.
Now, the names mentioned are not completely insignificant and in any case they have much valuable experience. Should we leave this unused? But we think naturally at the same time also of clearly younger artists, such as Andres Nelsons from our generation. Young artists are not easy to find, and one must also observe their development. And that is also one of our major tasks, because the seasons are to a large extent preplanned until 2015. Therefore we also contract certain people from early on to the house, in order to develop ourselves together with them. It is perhaps also necessary to say to a young conductor at times: “Assist nevertheless one year here with us, even if at other houses you have already conducted the Ring - we still intend do do more work together in the future.” Only so may another “myth” develop, the one of a musical family.
The daring family is in the meantime quite blown up. Bayreuth threatens to lose the interpretation sovereignty. Each province theatre plays his works…
It unfortunately often happens that one brings strong conductors together with weak directors, or vice versa. I believe, Boulez and Chéreau with The Centennial Ring should not be a unique case. We must make that the normal case and achieve a scenic and musical level in Bayreuth which you do not have in other places.
But Wagner has now become a house-hold name..
And since more theaters play Wagner´s operas, talented artists are easier recognized. One must hear and see.
Why did you actually apply by an interview in the Frankfurter Allgemeine for the leadership and not by a letter to the donation advice? How is your relationship to this Board of Directors?
All are interested in a peaceful solution to these issues. Since this is a situation we find ourselves in for the first time in the entire history of the Festival story, of course it is a difficult process, that cannot be expected to be complete without some problems and discussions. Surely everyone understands that. For Christian Thielemann and me, it is neither about personal vanities nor about any questionable “power”, and we feel jointly responsible for Bayreuth and would gladly take more responsibility for the Festival. We do not have push ourselves in front of others. We consider the Festival too important and necessarily and unique - why should we lie - we love it. We went to the public, because already many assumptions and speculations had begun, but since the Board of Directors had not introduce the procedure for the follow-up yet, we cannot apply officially.
Do you become open to attack by having made this public application?
Perhaps, but that never interested me that so much, because as an artists worst thing you can do is to be tactical or make work in order to please. Open to attack are probably everyone who present with ideas in public, we probably may be, but the public has is a right to know what we think and what we stand for. And neither me or Christian Thielemann want to keep our plans in secret - also, because we are of the convictions that we do not benefit at all from shying away from public scrutiny.
My comments:
ehh..I am a bit baffled of this opening up to a third person. She seems to dismiss E W-P since the position will be only administrative, but welcomes a reknowned German composer and former artistical director of the Salzburg Festival? In a purely administrative capacity??!! Nevertheless I still see this as the opening for Eva W-P as a suspected would happen yesterday..
..and I fail to see the acute need for marketing strategies based on the assumption that one obviously cannot expect the house to be sold out in 50 years...well...here in Bayreuth, I´d say you can exactly expect that...what she is going about is probably new ways to finance the Festival independent from the Friends of Bayreuth....
the seasons are to a large extent preplanned until 2015 an argument against her older competitors Eva Wager-Pasquier and Nike Wagner. I simply do not believe that. Perhaps the 2013 Wotan and Brünhilde are slated, and other key figures in major productions but I´d say not much more that that. Would be very surprised if the 2014 Kundry, Gurnemanz, Parsifal, Ortrud has been hired yet... or even the 2009 Siegmund. Or the directors for these performances.
Nice of her to stand up for Weigle - it did sound like he could use some more time to get used to the unique Bayreuth Festival acoustics
And this repeated statement that Chéreau/Boulez was a unique case - what about Kupfer/Barenboim or Heine Müller/Barenboim or Jürgen Flimm/Sinopoli...As high quality as The Centenary Ring I think....
And finally: They want to attract the best singers and conductors. And what about Wolfgang Wagner? Didn´t he want to attract the best singers and conductor? Or his stated goal was perhaps just to created a mediocre festival... Just saying that it will require a good deal more than relatively cheap talk to turn this Festival around.
Monday, 24 September 2007
Introducing "The Bayreuth succession" - a new docu-soap written by mostly opera. Episode 1
Since the docu-soap, which I am now officially entitling “The Bayreuth Succession” will be running regularly for the next couple of months on this blog, here follows a short presentation of the protagonists, background and main plot (with the clear warning that new plot elements and protagonists may appear from nowhere at any time point without further notice...)
Background
The control over the Bayreuth Festival was transferred from the Wagner Family to the Richard Wagner Foundation in 1973. The leader of the Festival is chosen by the Board of Directors of the Richard Wagner Foundation (see below). Wolfgang Wagner has been appointed Festival Director for life and has been running the Festival since 1951. A vote on the matter of Wolfgang Wagner´s successor in 2001 favored his daughter from his first marriage Eva Wagner-Pasquier over Wolfgang Wagner´s own candidate, his wife Gudrun. After this defeat, Wolfgang Wagner invoked his right to hold on to his post for life. The Board of Directors will meet on the upcoming November 6th where “the matter of succession” will be discussed. The Bayreuth Festival has been increasingly criticized in both German and International press for both musical and artistic stagnation in recent years, and it is frequently suggested that new artistic input are needed in order to uphold the Festivals´ leading position.
The main plot
On the surface: Who will succeed Wolfgang Wagner as Festival Director?
The core issue: What kind of Bayreuth Festival do we want in the future?
Obviously, one of the highest quality. The points of dispute on how to achieve this goal are among others: Traditional vs. revisionist stagings?, should works of other composers be performed in Bayreuth?, should Richard Wagner's early operas (pre-Dutchman) be shown here, should the Festival aim for more performances per year for example by extending the summer season or staging an additional winter festival?
The protagonists:
Wolfgang Wagner: Current Artistic Director, grandson of Richard Wagner. Born 1918. Brother of Wieland Wagner (who died in 1966). Has been running the Festival since 1951. Father of Eva Wagner-Pasquier (first marriage) and Katharina Wagner (second marriage). Married to his former secretary Gudrun Wagner, since 1976, who is currently employed in the Festival Management. Is appointed Festival Director for life. Is strongly supporting Katharina Wagner´s candidacy.
Katharina Wagner: 29-year old daughter of Wolfgang Wagner. Has directed a few operas, most notably the Meistersinger at this years Bayreuth Festival. Being the first modern version of the work seen in Bayreuth, it was widely criticized in both German press and public, a large part of whom had not actually seen her production (I, on the contrary did see the production and wrote an extensive review here).
Nike Wagner: Daughter of Wieland Wagner, niece of Wolfgang Wagner. Critical of the current Festival Management, and publicly quoted with such statements as “Both the institution of Bayreuth and its director are going senile,” and on Gudrun Wagner “We all know that she owes her position to her place in the marital bed, rather than any understanding of art and culture”. Expansions of both performances numbers and repertoire make part of her visions for the Festival. She has written a very critical book on the Wagner family as well. She seems to have side-lined herself in the power struggle for the above reasons. Runs the Weimar Kunst Festival.
Eva Wagner-Pasquier: Daughter of Wolfgang Wagner (first marriage) and half-sister of Katharina. Currently employed in the management of the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Has publicly declared her candidacy this July, but otherwise not spoken to the press. Estranged from her father since she sided with her mother (who died in 2002) in their divorce in 1976. Was elected Wolfgang Wagner´s successor in 2001 by the Board of Directors, but he side-stepped her choosing to remain on the post himself.
Christian Thielemann: Protagonist in the drama since September 22, where he teamed up with Katharina Wagner to make a bid for the future Festival leadership. 48 years old. Principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonics since 2004 after leaving a similar position with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Renowned for his interpretations primarily of Wagner, Strauss and Schumann. Conducted a musically highly successful Ring this year in Bayreuth. Highly regarded by the German public as a guardian of traditional German values and seen by many (including himself) as carrying on the German conducting traditions in the footsteps of Furtwängler and Karajan. Was involved in the power struggle for new artistic leadership earlier this year at the Vienna State Opera – what exactly happened is unclear, but he apparently withdrew his candidacy at the last minute.
The International Association of Wagner Societies (IAWS): Approximately 140 Wagner Societies all over the world, with members counting “ordinary people” with interest in Wagner´s music. The Wagner Societies are currently very visible in the German press, since the President of the IAWS Josef Lienhardt publicly supported Katharina Wagner´s candidacy this July. Several very outspoken Presidents of local German Wagner Societies highly disagree with Lienhardt on K. Wagner´s candidacy, which is excessively debated in the German press at the moment. However, the Wagner Societies do not have any direct say in the matter, since they are not represented in the Board of Directors (as opposed to the Friends of Bayreuth).
The Friends of Bayreuth: Influential organization of individuals and companies contributing financially to the Bayreuth Festival. Represented in the Board of Directors. The exact influence of this organization on Festival matters is difficult to assess – but probably not negligible, since several of the members contribute with large donations to the Festival. It has been speculated why Wolfgang Wagner, for the first time this year was not present at Friends´ annual meeting which took place in Bayreuth during this years Festival.
The Board of Directors: Executive body of the Richard Wagner Foundation. Will meet on November 6th where the succession to Wolfgang Wagner will be discussed. The Board of Directors consist of 24 members representing the Republic of Germany, the State of Bavaria, the district of Upper Franconia, the city of Bayreuth, the society of the Friends of Bayreuth and members of the Wagner family.
Some of the relevant issues:
Can´t The Board just fire Wolfgang Wagner?
In theory yes, if it can be proven he is not de facto doing his job (e.g. if his wife Gudrun does it for him). There is no publicly available proof on this, however members of the Board of Directors have publicly insinuated this to be the case. Politically, it wouldn´t be so easy to get away with and something I´d believe they would avoid at almost all cost.
Can´t Wolfgang Wagner just chose to stay on?
Probably yes, but it seems like he is trying to push for clarification now, which makes sense, his advanced age taken into consideration. As to his health status: Only rumours exist. He was seen in public during this years Festival and looked fine.
Does the Festival have to be run by a descendant of Richard Wagner?
No. But the Foundation of the Festival states, that preference should be given to a family member, if equally suitable applicants apply for the job. Many, if not most Germans, however, feel the Festival should be managed by a descendant of Richard Wagner, if at all possible. And since most of the Board members hold public offices, this is no small consideration.
And now I´ll stick my neck out with my opinions on some of the most controversial issues:
Is Wolfgang Wagner a good Festival Director?
Basically I think he is. Or at least he has been. I find the accusations of him being artistically stagnant unfair: After all, it was he who brought both Chereau, Kupfer and Schlingensief to Bayreuth. And Barenboim, Boulez, Waltraud Meier and Placido Domingo as well. That this years Ring is relatively uninteresting is not entirely his fault, since the initially chosen director Lars von Trier pulled out of the project. Had he directed The Ring of The Century, things would have looked very different indeed.
However, in the past 5-6 years the quality of singing and conducting seems to have been dropping in Bayreuth, which together with Tankred Dorst´s uninspiring Ring has accelerated the debated on his resignation. If this singing crisis can be solved by any new administrator, remains to be seen. I am not convinced it´ll be so easy. But, of course, not impossible. After all, I´d say, he´s done a good job.
Will Nike Wagner make a good Festival Director?
Nothing indicates she will. An opinion I base on: Her wish to include more of Wagner´s work in the canon (which I disagree with, finding the proposed works of insufficient quality to be performed in Bayreuth, which Richard Wagner himself also agrees with me on), include works of other composers (which I disagree with, finding that the exclusivity of the Festival would suffer), open the Festival year around (again I disagree since I feel that the exclusivity and special atmosphere would be lost) and having read her book.
Will Eva Wagner-Pasquier make a good Festival Director?
I have no idea. I haven´t been able to find any recent statements regarding her plans for the Festival. That she avoids giving interviews at this time point and doesn´t slander other family members speaks in her favor, but other than that I´m blank.
And now I am seriously sticking my neck out giving my opinion on this:
Will Katharina Wagner/Christian Thielemann make good Festival Directors?
The short answer: I seriously don´t know.
The long answer:
My impression of Katharina Wagner is largely positive - based on interviews in German magazines, she seems a both thoughtful, modest, intelligent and courageous woman. I am a strong proponent of introducing experimental theater in Bayreuth, but I don´t share the public opinion, that Katharina Wagner´s productions represent advanced experimental theater at all. While her Meistersinger may be modern in the outlook, it is in no way shocking to audiences used to attend spoken theater performances or operatic performances elsewhere. She seems willing to continue the development of new productions in Bayreuth - and so far so good. Based on my very limited knowledge, I don´t have any serious reservations regarding Katharina Wagner´s candidacy. And, after all, Wolfgang Wagner is living proof that you don’t have to be a particularly admired stage director to run the Bayreuth Festival.
However, regarding Christian Thielemann..: I am a huge admirer of Thielemann, the conductor as I´ve written previously. However, he is a notorious opponent of advanced modern stagings and a proponent of upholding traditional musical values.
Now, are these desirable qualities to lead a modern opera house? Normally, I´d say no. However, regarding the Bayreuth Festival, I feel that some traditions are important to keep and I do agree with him on the issues of repertoire and season length and I would expect him to be a guarantor of a high musical quality. And those issues are also of major importance to me. Normally one would expect him to have the upper-hand in any partnership with Katharina Wagner, but I suspect deals have been cut here, that make the entire issue unpredictable.
So I really don´t know what to think about this, but when I find out, I will publish it here immediately (and regularly check in on AC Douglas in case he finds out before me..).
What will happen at the Board of Directors meeting in November?
Just guessing: Neither Wolfgang Wagner nor Christian Thielemann can publicly afford to be on the losing side here. So if people in the know do not expect the Katharina Wagner/Christian Thielemann constellation to succeed, I wouldn´t be too surprised if a triage including the two of them plus Eva Wagner-Pasquier would be proposed since I´d expect Wolfgang Wagner to back Eva Wagner-Pasquier if the alternative would be a candidate outside the family. But that, of course, remains to be seen…
Background
The control over the Bayreuth Festival was transferred from the Wagner Family to the Richard Wagner Foundation in 1973. The leader of the Festival is chosen by the Board of Directors of the Richard Wagner Foundation (see below). Wolfgang Wagner has been appointed Festival Director for life and has been running the Festival since 1951. A vote on the matter of Wolfgang Wagner´s successor in 2001 favored his daughter from his first marriage Eva Wagner-Pasquier over Wolfgang Wagner´s own candidate, his wife Gudrun. After this defeat, Wolfgang Wagner invoked his right to hold on to his post for life. The Board of Directors will meet on the upcoming November 6th where “the matter of succession” will be discussed. The Bayreuth Festival has been increasingly criticized in both German and International press for both musical and artistic stagnation in recent years, and it is frequently suggested that new artistic input are needed in order to uphold the Festivals´ leading position.
The main plot
On the surface: Who will succeed Wolfgang Wagner as Festival Director?
The core issue: What kind of Bayreuth Festival do we want in the future?
Obviously, one of the highest quality. The points of dispute on how to achieve this goal are among others: Traditional vs. revisionist stagings?, should works of other composers be performed in Bayreuth?, should Richard Wagner's early operas (pre-Dutchman) be shown here, should the Festival aim for more performances per year for example by extending the summer season or staging an additional winter festival?
The protagonists:
Wolfgang Wagner: Current Artistic Director, grandson of Richard Wagner. Born 1918. Brother of Wieland Wagner (who died in 1966). Has been running the Festival since 1951. Father of Eva Wagner-Pasquier (first marriage) and Katharina Wagner (second marriage). Married to his former secretary Gudrun Wagner, since 1976, who is currently employed in the Festival Management. Is appointed Festival Director for life. Is strongly supporting Katharina Wagner´s candidacy.
Katharina Wagner: 29-year old daughter of Wolfgang Wagner. Has directed a few operas, most notably the Meistersinger at this years Bayreuth Festival. Being the first modern version of the work seen in Bayreuth, it was widely criticized in both German press and public, a large part of whom had not actually seen her production (I, on the contrary did see the production and wrote an extensive review here).
Nike Wagner: Daughter of Wieland Wagner, niece of Wolfgang Wagner. Critical of the current Festival Management, and publicly quoted with such statements as “Both the institution of Bayreuth and its director are going senile,” and on Gudrun Wagner “We all know that she owes her position to her place in the marital bed, rather than any understanding of art and culture”. Expansions of both performances numbers and repertoire make part of her visions for the Festival. She has written a very critical book on the Wagner family as well. She seems to have side-lined herself in the power struggle for the above reasons. Runs the Weimar Kunst Festival.
Eva Wagner-Pasquier: Daughter of Wolfgang Wagner (first marriage) and half-sister of Katharina. Currently employed in the management of the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Has publicly declared her candidacy this July, but otherwise not spoken to the press. Estranged from her father since she sided with her mother (who died in 2002) in their divorce in 1976. Was elected Wolfgang Wagner´s successor in 2001 by the Board of Directors, but he side-stepped her choosing to remain on the post himself.
Christian Thielemann: Protagonist in the drama since September 22, where he teamed up with Katharina Wagner to make a bid for the future Festival leadership. 48 years old. Principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonics since 2004 after leaving a similar position with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Renowned for his interpretations primarily of Wagner, Strauss and Schumann. Conducted a musically highly successful Ring this year in Bayreuth. Highly regarded by the German public as a guardian of traditional German values and seen by many (including himself) as carrying on the German conducting traditions in the footsteps of Furtwängler and Karajan. Was involved in the power struggle for new artistic leadership earlier this year at the Vienna State Opera – what exactly happened is unclear, but he apparently withdrew his candidacy at the last minute.
The International Association of Wagner Societies (IAWS): Approximately 140 Wagner Societies all over the world, with members counting “ordinary people” with interest in Wagner´s music. The Wagner Societies are currently very visible in the German press, since the President of the IAWS Josef Lienhardt publicly supported Katharina Wagner´s candidacy this July. Several very outspoken Presidents of local German Wagner Societies highly disagree with Lienhardt on K. Wagner´s candidacy, which is excessively debated in the German press at the moment. However, the Wagner Societies do not have any direct say in the matter, since they are not represented in the Board of Directors (as opposed to the Friends of Bayreuth).
The Friends of Bayreuth: Influential organization of individuals and companies contributing financially to the Bayreuth Festival. Represented in the Board of Directors. The exact influence of this organization on Festival matters is difficult to assess – but probably not negligible, since several of the members contribute with large donations to the Festival. It has been speculated why Wolfgang Wagner, for the first time this year was not present at Friends´ annual meeting which took place in Bayreuth during this years Festival.
The Board of Directors: Executive body of the Richard Wagner Foundation. Will meet on November 6th where the succession to Wolfgang Wagner will be discussed. The Board of Directors consist of 24 members representing the Republic of Germany, the State of Bavaria, the district of Upper Franconia, the city of Bayreuth, the society of the Friends of Bayreuth and members of the Wagner family.
Some of the relevant issues:
Can´t The Board just fire Wolfgang Wagner?
In theory yes, if it can be proven he is not de facto doing his job (e.g. if his wife Gudrun does it for him). There is no publicly available proof on this, however members of the Board of Directors have publicly insinuated this to be the case. Politically, it wouldn´t be so easy to get away with and something I´d believe they would avoid at almost all cost.
Can´t Wolfgang Wagner just chose to stay on?
Probably yes, but it seems like he is trying to push for clarification now, which makes sense, his advanced age taken into consideration. As to his health status: Only rumours exist. He was seen in public during this years Festival and looked fine.
Does the Festival have to be run by a descendant of Richard Wagner?
No. But the Foundation of the Festival states, that preference should be given to a family member, if equally suitable applicants apply for the job. Many, if not most Germans, however, feel the Festival should be managed by a descendant of Richard Wagner, if at all possible. And since most of the Board members hold public offices, this is no small consideration.
And now I´ll stick my neck out with my opinions on some of the most controversial issues:
Is Wolfgang Wagner a good Festival Director?
Basically I think he is. Or at least he has been. I find the accusations of him being artistically stagnant unfair: After all, it was he who brought both Chereau, Kupfer and Schlingensief to Bayreuth. And Barenboim, Boulez, Waltraud Meier and Placido Domingo as well. That this years Ring is relatively uninteresting is not entirely his fault, since the initially chosen director Lars von Trier pulled out of the project. Had he directed The Ring of The Century, things would have looked very different indeed.
However, in the past 5-6 years the quality of singing and conducting seems to have been dropping in Bayreuth, which together with Tankred Dorst´s uninspiring Ring has accelerated the debated on his resignation. If this singing crisis can be solved by any new administrator, remains to be seen. I am not convinced it´ll be so easy. But, of course, not impossible. After all, I´d say, he´s done a good job.
Will Nike Wagner make a good Festival Director?
Nothing indicates she will. An opinion I base on: Her wish to include more of Wagner´s work in the canon (which I disagree with, finding the proposed works of insufficient quality to be performed in Bayreuth, which Richard Wagner himself also agrees with me on), include works of other composers (which I disagree with, finding that the exclusivity of the Festival would suffer), open the Festival year around (again I disagree since I feel that the exclusivity and special atmosphere would be lost) and having read her book.
Will Eva Wagner-Pasquier make a good Festival Director?
I have no idea. I haven´t been able to find any recent statements regarding her plans for the Festival. That she avoids giving interviews at this time point and doesn´t slander other family members speaks in her favor, but other than that I´m blank.
And now I am seriously sticking my neck out giving my opinion on this:
Will Katharina Wagner/Christian Thielemann make good Festival Directors?
The short answer: I seriously don´t know.
The long answer:
My impression of Katharina Wagner is largely positive - based on interviews in German magazines, she seems a both thoughtful, modest, intelligent and courageous woman. I am a strong proponent of introducing experimental theater in Bayreuth, but I don´t share the public opinion, that Katharina Wagner´s productions represent advanced experimental theater at all. While her Meistersinger may be modern in the outlook, it is in no way shocking to audiences used to attend spoken theater performances or operatic performances elsewhere. She seems willing to continue the development of new productions in Bayreuth - and so far so good. Based on my very limited knowledge, I don´t have any serious reservations regarding Katharina Wagner´s candidacy. And, after all, Wolfgang Wagner is living proof that you don’t have to be a particularly admired stage director to run the Bayreuth Festival.
However, regarding Christian Thielemann..: I am a huge admirer of Thielemann, the conductor as I´ve written previously. However, he is a notorious opponent of advanced modern stagings and a proponent of upholding traditional musical values.
Now, are these desirable qualities to lead a modern opera house? Normally, I´d say no. However, regarding the Bayreuth Festival, I feel that some traditions are important to keep and I do agree with him on the issues of repertoire and season length and I would expect him to be a guarantor of a high musical quality. And those issues are also of major importance to me. Normally one would expect him to have the upper-hand in any partnership with Katharina Wagner, but I suspect deals have been cut here, that make the entire issue unpredictable.
So I really don´t know what to think about this, but when I find out, I will publish it here immediately (and regularly check in on AC Douglas in case he finds out before me..).
What will happen at the Board of Directors meeting in November?
Just guessing: Neither Wolfgang Wagner nor Christian Thielemann can publicly afford to be on the losing side here. So if people in the know do not expect the Katharina Wagner/Christian Thielemann constellation to succeed, I wouldn´t be too surprised if a triage including the two of them plus Eva Wagner-Pasquier would be proposed since I´d expect Wolfgang Wagner to back Eva Wagner-Pasquier if the alternative would be a candidate outside the family. But that, of course, remains to be seen…
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Latest episode (no. 4) of the Bayreuth docu-soap: The gloves are off!
Katharina Wagner´s aunt and contestant to the leadership of the Bayreuth Festival, 62-year old Nike Wagner (daughter of Wieland) gave an interview to the Nordbayerische Kurier in response to Katharina´s declared partnership with Christian Thielemann. Predictably, she was not too pleased [my translation below]:
"It´s about power, not arts" she was quoted as saying. And continued "For conservative Wagnerians, Thielemann is the guarantor of tradition against the wild Katharina Wagner"... “Balance” - not artistic vision of the future - is popular with politicians and probably with the Board of Directors as well".
Seems like she accepts defeat (not that her chances were ever that good. Eva Wagner-Pasquier is definitely the strongest candidate of the two of them).
I have furthermore had the dubious pleasure of reading Nike Wagner´s book entitled "The Wagners - The dramas of a musical dynasty" which in short is a mix of third-rate analysis of Richard Wagner´s works and malicious gossip about the rest of the family. That she would ever think this book would further her ambitions to run the Bayreuth Festival speaks for itself...
To be continued here....
Saturday, 22 September 2007
Katharina Wagner and Christian Thielemann present their visions for the Bayreuth Festival (aka. The Bayreuth Succession - episode 3)
Yes - it´s a soap opera (literally speaking..) - but nevertheless entertaining to follow from the sideline....
Below follows my translation of the entire interview given to the Frankfurter Allgemeine by Katharina Wagner and Christian Thielemann, where the two announce their candidacy to take over the Bayreuth Festival once Wolfgang Wagner retires, and explain their views on the future of Bayreuth.
There´s actually quite a few interesting statements to be found here:
„The wonderful obligation to continue the tradition “ - Thielemann and Wagner interviewed by Eleonore Büning in Frankfurter Allgemeine September 22th 2007:
Mrs. Wagner, history repeats itself: You want to lead the Bayreuth Festival together with Mr. Thielemann just as the widow Winifred did [in the 1930´s] together with another citizen of Berlin, conductor and director Heinz Tietjen?
Katharina Wagner: Yes, this is correct. We have decided, as a team, to declare our candidacy for running the Festival.
Then you, Mr. Thielemann, should maybe also aim for a Musical Director position in Berlin, so as to keep up with the historical comparison [with Heinz Tietjen]?
Christian Thielemann: No, thanks. I am very happy in Munich with the Philharmonics. I would not even give up or neglect Munich for Bayreuth either. But Katharina and I have been speaking together frequently and a lot of our discussions were about the future of the Bayreuth Festival, and then we suddenly realized, that we completely agree on all the major issues concerning the future of the Bayreuth Festival.
Can you date the beginning of this harmony exactly?
Christian Thielemann: When I first came to Bayreuth in the 80´s as an assistant to Daniel Barenboim, Katharina obviously was still much too young. I cannot remember when exactly we first met. But since I started to conduct in Bayreuth, in 1996, I´ve had very close daily contact with her, because she at that time worked as an assistant director at the Meistersinger production. And now the obvious question in front of us is, how we would like things to continue in Bayreuth. We are both able to imagine ourselves exchanging and mixing up ideas together. Since we know each other so well, we can also be mercilessly honest with each other. In addition we both have the right age for a new era to be launched in Bayreuth.
Katharina Wagner: Regarding the new era, one must realize several things: Artist contracts already signed with the current festival management run until 2015. If one does not want to risk loosing a considerable sum of money, the present contracts should be honoured, if at all possible. That means: For the first eight years, basically we´d only been administering the estate of Wolfgang Wagner. I do not want to be uncharming, but it is nevertheless a fact that my cousin Nike and my half sister Eva would not have the possibility of developing their own Festival profile, for reasons of age alone. Before they would have their hands free for their own planning, they would be far beyond the retirement age...
...because of the fact that your father had negotiated himself a lifetime contract. Wolfgang Wagner is at the same time Partner and Managing Director of the Festival. One of the reasons, why the Bayreuth Festival have cornered itself artistically in such a way as it has..
Katharina Wagner: This image of the Bayreuth Festival as being closed-up must be broken. The Festival is financed with public funds, which obligates one to seek openness.
Christian Thielemann: I find it shocking how common it is today, in the various cultural enterprises, to waste public funding, which arises from taxpayers money, because new managers of theatres or orchestras assume everything must be done differently. One changes the leadership, destroys everything that came before you, breaks contracts, dismisses employees. We do not intend to do that in Bayreuth. We want continuity.
That is, you want to hold on to the canon of the ten "main works," from "Dutchman" to "Parsifal" which have remained since Cosima´s days?
Christian Thielemann: Yes, definitely. At the Wagner Festival, you play Wagner, what else? But we do not oppose new ideas. For example, we think that it would be about time to organize a public "listening event" in the Festival House in order to examine, how the legendary acoustics of the Festival House really work [for which type of music]. Renowned as amazing, this house would probably be ideal for the works of Schönberg or Stockhausen. The acoustics here do probably not make the same difference for Richard Wagner´s early works [before the Dutchman]. My Bayreuth experience as a conductor suggests to me that a piece with a very thick instrumentation probably does not come through here at all or at least sounds differently. Richard Wagner knew that as well. The original version of the Dutchman differs considerably from the later version.
Katharina Wagner: It does not make sense to play pieces in Bayreuth which do not benefit from the acoustics here.
Christian Thielemann:Even Wagner himself made changes to the instrumentation of The Ring after it premiered here. Now, to make a general statement, that the acoustics in Bayreuth are so wonderful and suitable for all kinds of music, is dishonest, as long as there is no proof to sustain it.
Will you produce operas together? The Ring? Tristan? Which piece?
Katharina Wagner: We sit here together on this couch coming from very opposite positions. If you put the two of us together, definitely something interesting would come out. I can say so much: Mr. Thielemann is not an opponent of innovative staging ideas.
Christian Thielemann: Exactly, and particularly because we live in a visual age, we need a very strong musical handwriting/mark. But nevertheless, a strong performance develops only if two strong partners work together. For me, as a conductor in the pit, it is wonderful if I know, that what comes from the stage is beautiful. The director and conductor must work together as equal partners.
What piece would you like to stage together?
Katharina Wagner: I would love to make Tristan with you….
Christian Thielemann: … I with you also. But not in Bayreuth, since the planning there does not allow for it.
What do you plan to do about the current Wagnerian singing crisis ?
Christian Thielemann: In Bayreuth there is the additionally problem that voices, which sound magnificent in Vienna or Berlin do not carry through to the audience in the Festival House. This has to be tested on the spot. Thus, in the future, auditions should only take place in the Festival House. Also, several experiments have been conducted with the orchestra: While conducting his Meistersinger, Barenboim tried several times to reposition the musicians in the pit, something which Karajan already tried out with his Tristan - and in the end the musicians were positioned exactly as they were from the beginning. This is the attraction of Bayreuth! This beautiful obligation to continue the tradition! I suspect that many new ideas in Bayreuth fail simply because of the conditions of this special house. On the other hand we must ask ourselves the question: What is left to do?
Katharina Wagner: Under no circumstances do we want to destroy the myth which is Bayreuth. In Bayreuth only a limited selection of Richard Wagner´s work is to be played. Another cornerstone of our concept is that we think the Festival should be a pioneer in the staging/performance of Wagner's work.
Bayreuth is today farther away from this vision than ever. Also the exclusivity is no longer given, and from Kiel to Ulm one may today at the city theatres hear both better sung, better played and more excitingly produced Wagner operas. You want to preserve Bayreuth as a myth, preserve the exclusivity and at the same time create avant-garde productions of the operas. Is it really possible to achieve all this? And how?
Christian Thielemann: Step by step. First of all, we will get major conducting colleagues to come to Bayreuth, who were never here before: Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano. And so on. It is true, that Wagner´s operas are played everywhere today. But there is also a crisis in Wagner conducting. Because Wagner operas were politically suspicious after the war, the tradition of the Wagner conductors in Germany broke off to a large extent. We want to try to redevelop this conducting tradition in Bayreuth, starting from scratch.
Katharina Wagner: It would be wonderful, if Barenboim came back. Also I could very well imagine introducing myself to Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Bayreuth.
This idea would have been highly original twenty years ago. And which directors do you want to see in Bayreuth? Hans Neuenfels?
Katharina Wagner: A combination such as Chéreau and Boulez may not have been a mere coincidence. Only aiming to be original always comes second to the artistic quality. To "release" strong artistic personalities should be a further characteristic of the new festival line. Of course there will be conflicts if you match a strong director with an equally strong conductor. But one knows that only through conflicts and risks will you achieve the highest quality. And above all: If hired by the Bayreuth Festival, one must accept to leave all personal pride at home.
Christian Thielemann: We do not come to Bayreuth because of money or pride. We come because of "the Festival Idea". And that idea has remained intact since the founding of this House. In Bayreuth, the receptionist sits beside the tenor in the cafeteria, which is just one of the small things contributing to the unique atmosphere of this family business. And one must also be able to simply hang around in Bayreuth, listening to the rehearsals of others. I believe, there is such a thing as a prototype Bayreuth conductor: Those succeeding here, have always been the experienced conductors with additional theatrical experience.
"Children, create something new!", Richard Wagner said. Where are the contemporary pieces? What about the "art of the future “?
Katharina Wagner: Obviously we could, as my cousin Nike, throw around clichèes like: "We want to open Bayreuth to new ideas." It is exactly like in politics: Promises are made, which cannot be kept. To change the actual pieces played here, one would also have to change the donation statute. We not only want to engage top-quality artists for the productions, but we are also very interested in the future. We intend to create a Festival Academy for conductors, composers, singers and directors. This Academy should focus on the future of music theater.
Christian Thielemann: In a time, where young talents are easily burned up and record making play the major role in the business, it is important to firmly oppose this development. It will be the task of Bayreuth to clarify: What is Wagnerian singing today? What is Wagnerian conducting today? How does one plan a whole „Ring “? How does a singer work with the director? I am one of the very few conductors, who have been conducting certain works again and again - and for that I have been criticized and insulted because of my allegedly too small repertoire. But Bayreuth is very special. If a conductor arrives here and does not really know the piece he is conducting, then it is like fighting fifteen battles at the same time.
Katharina Wagner: Anyone wanting to work in Bayreuth, has to pass on knowledge to the younger generation. In this way we intend to create new quality in the Wagner performances. That is going to be more expensive. And therefore we must find ways for growth of the Festival, without relying on public funding. Marketing strategies are part of our concept as well. We already have ideas in the drawer, which will make the Bayreuth Festival administration more effective.
Does this Academy work for the duration of the Festival or for the whole year?
Christian Thielemann: In the beginning, only in the summer, later all year round. There are older singers, singing Gurnemanz for fifteen years, like René Kollo [?] and Hans Sotin, who should definitely pass on their knowledge here. That applies to the conductors as well. An assistant like Christoph Meier, who worked for many years in Bayreuth, can take over „Tannhäuser within two days “. This idea is actually an old one. Also Horst Stein began as an assistant to Knappertsbusch and I began as an assistant here as well. This Festival Academy is only a natural development of this tradition. Katharina and I are more or less the first graduates of this academy.
Does contemporary music have a place in your academy?
Katharina Wagner: Not yet. Initially, the Academy is to offer practical apprenticeship positions relating to dramaturgy, public funding and marketing.
Christian Thielemann: Everything that takes place in the Festival House apart from the actual music of Richard Wagner, must be first clarified and defined. Before these baseline conditions are in place, we will not start anything new. One of these conditions, as I said, is the examination of the acoustics. That will take place immediately in the first season. Afterwards, we may then begin the discussion on what is to be created at this house.
Has the Board of Directors already been informed about your application and your concept?
Katharina Wagner: No, it doesn´t work that way at all! The Chairman Toni Schmidt has explained again and again publicly that the Board of Directors will discuss the Festival Management succession at the next meeting. But, as yet, no follow-up procedure for my father has been introduced, therefore there is also no application procedure. My father has not yet handed in his resignation though...
and he will not do so, before you are ready to succeed him. However, your father knows about your proposition?
Katharina Wagner: Yes, Mr. Thielemann and I spoke to him about our ideas. For him, this would be a basis on which to build an acceptable solution. We are declaring our candidacy to the public, because this is a public position. The Board of Directors must then decide the value of our candidacy. Our concept is public and may be read by everybody. And in 2015 we will have developed a new profile for Bayreuth for the subsequent years. But let us be quite clear on this: Our decision to work for the Bayreuth Festival will naturally limit us both in our artistic possibilities elsewhere. We are available now, but we will not wait forever.
Christian Thielemann: I have occupied leading positions in the music business for twenty years and I never had the ambitions to run a theater. But Bayreuth is not any theatre, Bayreuth is Bayreuth. I am passionate about this idea.
The drama continues here..
Below follows my translation of the entire interview given to the Frankfurter Allgemeine by Katharina Wagner and Christian Thielemann, where the two announce their candidacy to take over the Bayreuth Festival once Wolfgang Wagner retires, and explain their views on the future of Bayreuth.
There´s actually quite a few interesting statements to be found here:
„The wonderful obligation to continue the tradition “ - Thielemann and Wagner interviewed by Eleonore Büning in Frankfurter Allgemeine September 22th 2007:
Mrs. Wagner, history repeats itself: You want to lead the Bayreuth Festival together with Mr. Thielemann just as the widow Winifred did [in the 1930´s] together with another citizen of Berlin, conductor and director Heinz Tietjen?
Katharina Wagner: Yes, this is correct. We have decided, as a team, to declare our candidacy for running the Festival.
Then you, Mr. Thielemann, should maybe also aim for a Musical Director position in Berlin, so as to keep up with the historical comparison [with Heinz Tietjen]?
Christian Thielemann: No, thanks. I am very happy in Munich with the Philharmonics. I would not even give up or neglect Munich for Bayreuth either. But Katharina and I have been speaking together frequently and a lot of our discussions were about the future of the Bayreuth Festival, and then we suddenly realized, that we completely agree on all the major issues concerning the future of the Bayreuth Festival.
Can you date the beginning of this harmony exactly?
Christian Thielemann: When I first came to Bayreuth in the 80´s as an assistant to Daniel Barenboim, Katharina obviously was still much too young. I cannot remember when exactly we first met. But since I started to conduct in Bayreuth, in 1996, I´ve had very close daily contact with her, because she at that time worked as an assistant director at the Meistersinger production. And now the obvious question in front of us is, how we would like things to continue in Bayreuth. We are both able to imagine ourselves exchanging and mixing up ideas together. Since we know each other so well, we can also be mercilessly honest with each other. In addition we both have the right age for a new era to be launched in Bayreuth.
Katharina Wagner: Regarding the new era, one must realize several things: Artist contracts already signed with the current festival management run until 2015. If one does not want to risk loosing a considerable sum of money, the present contracts should be honoured, if at all possible. That means: For the first eight years, basically we´d only been administering the estate of Wolfgang Wagner. I do not want to be uncharming, but it is nevertheless a fact that my cousin Nike and my half sister Eva would not have the possibility of developing their own Festival profile, for reasons of age alone. Before they would have their hands free for their own planning, they would be far beyond the retirement age...
...because of the fact that your father had negotiated himself a lifetime contract. Wolfgang Wagner is at the same time Partner and Managing Director of the Festival. One of the reasons, why the Bayreuth Festival have cornered itself artistically in such a way as it has..
Katharina Wagner: This image of the Bayreuth Festival as being closed-up must be broken. The Festival is financed with public funds, which obligates one to seek openness.
Christian Thielemann: I find it shocking how common it is today, in the various cultural enterprises, to waste public funding, which arises from taxpayers money, because new managers of theatres or orchestras assume everything must be done differently. One changes the leadership, destroys everything that came before you, breaks contracts, dismisses employees. We do not intend to do that in Bayreuth. We want continuity.
That is, you want to hold on to the canon of the ten "main works," from "Dutchman" to "Parsifal" which have remained since Cosima´s days?
Christian Thielemann: Yes, definitely. At the Wagner Festival, you play Wagner, what else? But we do not oppose new ideas. For example, we think that it would be about time to organize a public "listening event" in the Festival House in order to examine, how the legendary acoustics of the Festival House really work [for which type of music]. Renowned as amazing, this house would probably be ideal for the works of Schönberg or Stockhausen. The acoustics here do probably not make the same difference for Richard Wagner´s early works [before the Dutchman]. My Bayreuth experience as a conductor suggests to me that a piece with a very thick instrumentation probably does not come through here at all or at least sounds differently. Richard Wagner knew that as well. The original version of the Dutchman differs considerably from the later version.
Katharina Wagner: It does not make sense to play pieces in Bayreuth which do not benefit from the acoustics here.
Christian Thielemann:Even Wagner himself made changes to the instrumentation of The Ring after it premiered here. Now, to make a general statement, that the acoustics in Bayreuth are so wonderful and suitable for all kinds of music, is dishonest, as long as there is no proof to sustain it.
Will you produce operas together? The Ring? Tristan? Which piece?
Katharina Wagner: We sit here together on this couch coming from very opposite positions. If you put the two of us together, definitely something interesting would come out. I can say so much: Mr. Thielemann is not an opponent of innovative staging ideas.
Christian Thielemann: Exactly, and particularly because we live in a visual age, we need a very strong musical handwriting/mark. But nevertheless, a strong performance develops only if two strong partners work together. For me, as a conductor in the pit, it is wonderful if I know, that what comes from the stage is beautiful. The director and conductor must work together as equal partners.
What piece would you like to stage together?
Katharina Wagner: I would love to make Tristan with you….
Christian Thielemann: … I with you also. But not in Bayreuth, since the planning there does not allow for it.
What do you plan to do about the current Wagnerian singing crisis ?
Christian Thielemann: In Bayreuth there is the additionally problem that voices, which sound magnificent in Vienna or Berlin do not carry through to the audience in the Festival House. This has to be tested on the spot. Thus, in the future, auditions should only take place in the Festival House. Also, several experiments have been conducted with the orchestra: While conducting his Meistersinger, Barenboim tried several times to reposition the musicians in the pit, something which Karajan already tried out with his Tristan - and in the end the musicians were positioned exactly as they were from the beginning. This is the attraction of Bayreuth! This beautiful obligation to continue the tradition! I suspect that many new ideas in Bayreuth fail simply because of the conditions of this special house. On the other hand we must ask ourselves the question: What is left to do?
Katharina Wagner: Under no circumstances do we want to destroy the myth which is Bayreuth. In Bayreuth only a limited selection of Richard Wagner´s work is to be played. Another cornerstone of our concept is that we think the Festival should be a pioneer in the staging/performance of Wagner's work.
Bayreuth is today farther away from this vision than ever. Also the exclusivity is no longer given, and from Kiel to Ulm one may today at the city theatres hear both better sung, better played and more excitingly produced Wagner operas. You want to preserve Bayreuth as a myth, preserve the exclusivity and at the same time create avant-garde productions of the operas. Is it really possible to achieve all this? And how?
Christian Thielemann: Step by step. First of all, we will get major conducting colleagues to come to Bayreuth, who were never here before: Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano. And so on. It is true, that Wagner´s operas are played everywhere today. But there is also a crisis in Wagner conducting. Because Wagner operas were politically suspicious after the war, the tradition of the Wagner conductors in Germany broke off to a large extent. We want to try to redevelop this conducting tradition in Bayreuth, starting from scratch.
Katharina Wagner: It would be wonderful, if Barenboim came back. Also I could very well imagine introducing myself to Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Bayreuth.
This idea would have been highly original twenty years ago. And which directors do you want to see in Bayreuth? Hans Neuenfels?
Katharina Wagner: A combination such as Chéreau and Boulez may not have been a mere coincidence. Only aiming to be original always comes second to the artistic quality. To "release" strong artistic personalities should be a further characteristic of the new festival line. Of course there will be conflicts if you match a strong director with an equally strong conductor. But one knows that only through conflicts and risks will you achieve the highest quality. And above all: If hired by the Bayreuth Festival, one must accept to leave all personal pride at home.
Christian Thielemann: We do not come to Bayreuth because of money or pride. We come because of "the Festival Idea". And that idea has remained intact since the founding of this House. In Bayreuth, the receptionist sits beside the tenor in the cafeteria, which is just one of the small things contributing to the unique atmosphere of this family business. And one must also be able to simply hang around in Bayreuth, listening to the rehearsals of others. I believe, there is such a thing as a prototype Bayreuth conductor: Those succeeding here, have always been the experienced conductors with additional theatrical experience.
"Children, create something new!", Richard Wagner said. Where are the contemporary pieces? What about the "art of the future “?
Katharina Wagner: Obviously we could, as my cousin Nike, throw around clichèes like: "We want to open Bayreuth to new ideas." It is exactly like in politics: Promises are made, which cannot be kept. To change the actual pieces played here, one would also have to change the donation statute. We not only want to engage top-quality artists for the productions, but we are also very interested in the future. We intend to create a Festival Academy for conductors, composers, singers and directors. This Academy should focus on the future of music theater.
Christian Thielemann: In a time, where young talents are easily burned up and record making play the major role in the business, it is important to firmly oppose this development. It will be the task of Bayreuth to clarify: What is Wagnerian singing today? What is Wagnerian conducting today? How does one plan a whole „Ring “? How does a singer work with the director? I am one of the very few conductors, who have been conducting certain works again and again - and for that I have been criticized and insulted because of my allegedly too small repertoire. But Bayreuth is very special. If a conductor arrives here and does not really know the piece he is conducting, then it is like fighting fifteen battles at the same time.
Katharina Wagner: Anyone wanting to work in Bayreuth, has to pass on knowledge to the younger generation. In this way we intend to create new quality in the Wagner performances. That is going to be more expensive. And therefore we must find ways for growth of the Festival, without relying on public funding. Marketing strategies are part of our concept as well. We already have ideas in the drawer, which will make the Bayreuth Festival administration more effective.
Does this Academy work for the duration of the Festival or for the whole year?
Christian Thielemann: In the beginning, only in the summer, later all year round. There are older singers, singing Gurnemanz for fifteen years, like René Kollo [?] and Hans Sotin, who should definitely pass on their knowledge here. That applies to the conductors as well. An assistant like Christoph Meier, who worked for many years in Bayreuth, can take over „Tannhäuser within two days “. This idea is actually an old one. Also Horst Stein began as an assistant to Knappertsbusch and I began as an assistant here as well. This Festival Academy is only a natural development of this tradition. Katharina and I are more or less the first graduates of this academy.
Does contemporary music have a place in your academy?
Katharina Wagner: Not yet. Initially, the Academy is to offer practical apprenticeship positions relating to dramaturgy, public funding and marketing.
Christian Thielemann: Everything that takes place in the Festival House apart from the actual music of Richard Wagner, must be first clarified and defined. Before these baseline conditions are in place, we will not start anything new. One of these conditions, as I said, is the examination of the acoustics. That will take place immediately in the first season. Afterwards, we may then begin the discussion on what is to be created at this house.
Has the Board of Directors already been informed about your application and your concept?
Katharina Wagner: No, it doesn´t work that way at all! The Chairman Toni Schmidt has explained again and again publicly that the Board of Directors will discuss the Festival Management succession at the next meeting. But, as yet, no follow-up procedure for my father has been introduced, therefore there is also no application procedure. My father has not yet handed in his resignation though...
and he will not do so, before you are ready to succeed him. However, your father knows about your proposition?
Katharina Wagner: Yes, Mr. Thielemann and I spoke to him about our ideas. For him, this would be a basis on which to build an acceptable solution. We are declaring our candidacy to the public, because this is a public position. The Board of Directors must then decide the value of our candidacy. Our concept is public and may be read by everybody. And in 2015 we will have developed a new profile for Bayreuth for the subsequent years. But let us be quite clear on this: Our decision to work for the Bayreuth Festival will naturally limit us both in our artistic possibilities elsewhere. We are available now, but we will not wait forever.
Christian Thielemann: I have occupied leading positions in the music business for twenty years and I never had the ambitions to run a theater. But Bayreuth is not any theatre, Bayreuth is Bayreuth. I am passionate about this idea.
The drama continues here..
Katharina Wagner and Christian Thielemann teaming up to run the Bayreuth Festival (The Bayreuth Succession - episode 2)
AC Douglas just reported this from AP Berlin (quotes below):
"BERLIN (AP) — A great-granddaughter of composer Richard Wagner is teaming with star German conductor Christian Thielemann to bid for the leadership of the Bayreuth festival, the pair announced in an interview published Saturday.
"We have decided to run as a leadership team," Katharina Wagner was quoted as saying in an interview with Thielemann, published by the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Wagner said that she and Thielemann, 48, had laid out their ideas to Wolfgang Wagner, who has a lifetime contract, and that "this would for him be a basis on which to find an agreed solution."
"We know each other so well that we can tell each other our opinions without holding back," Thielemann was quoted as saying. "Apart from that, we would be exactly the right age for a new era."
In Saturday's interview, Katharina Wagner noted that the current festival leadership has already signed contracts with artists as far ahead as 2015 — meaning that, for the next eight years, any new leadership essentially would be administering the legacy of the Wolfgang Wagner era.
"I don't want to be uncharming now, but it is a fact that my cousin Nike and my half-sister Eva would, on grounds of age, have no possibility under these circumstances to develop their own profile," she was quoted as saying.
"Before they had their hands free for their own planning, they would be well above retirement age," she added. Both women are 62."
I have published a complete translation of their interview to the Frankfurter Allgemeine here... not uninteresting..
This is a very good tactical move indeed. Christian Thielemann is immensely respected for his traditional values throughout Germany and combined with the fact that most Germans still prefer a direct descendant of Richard Wagner to run the Bayreuth Festival, I´d say they have a very decent chance of succeeding Wolfgang Wagner.
This has the makings of a docu-soap, which is continued here..
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