Bayreuth

The operatic festival which Richard Wagner founded at Bayreuth in 1876 is the oldest, most famous and most influential in the world. Its Festspielhaus which was designed to his unorthodox specifications remains, architecturally and acoustically, without a peer. From the beginning, the unique atmosphere of the place and the standards of production and musical performance made Bayreuth a model for opera houses everywhere, a place of pilgrimage for music lovers and the ultimate objective for any singer or conductor. Behind the glories lies the controversial "royal family of Bayreuth", as the Wagner dynasty has been known. This book tells their story and also places Bayreuth within the tangled history of Germany.