GERMANY:The long-running battle for control of the Wagner festival in Bayreuth has entered its final round following the sudden death of Gudrun Wagner, the second wife of festival director Wolfgang Wagner.
Ms Wagner (63) was the uncrowned queen of Bayreuth, taking over from her ailing husband (88) the running of the festival, which was founded by his grandfather, Richard Wagner, in 1876. After an operation for an unspecified illness, Ms Wagner died unexpectedly at a Bayreuth clinic yesterday.
"She was the life and soul of the place," said Irish-born soprano Fionnuala McCarthy, a regular performer at Bayreuth.
"As a person she was very hospitable and organised everything. She was vivacious and professional, tactful and, above all, popular."
Ms Wagner came to Bayreuth in 1965 as a secretary and, 11 years later, married the boss.
She was firm about pushing through her artistic choices for the festival and her alleged maxim - "I am my husband" - stirred up resentment in the highly-strung Wagner world.
But the Wagners learned the limit of their influence over the publicly-funded festival, the highlight of Germany's cultural calendar.
Seven years ago the Wagner foundation, which has the final word on important decisions in Bayreuth, rejected Mr Wagner's attempt to hand over the director's reins to his wife.
In response, Mr Wagner declared that he would stay on as director for life.
Ms Wagner's death is likely to expedite the search for a successor. Their daughter, Katharina (29), is a frontrunner, nicknamed "Bayreuth Barbie" for her blond mane of hair and distinctive Wagnerian profile.
She proved her mettle at this year's festival when her first Bayreuth production, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, earned mixed and positive reviews from audiences and critics.
For stage two of her campaign for the top job, she presented herself as part of an artistic troika to run the festival, alongside leading Wagner conductor Christian Thielemann and Peter Ruzicka, director of the Salzburg festival.
That did not impress the 24 members of the foundation, many of whom favour her half-sister, Eva Wagner-Pasquier (62). The daughter from Mr Wagner's first marriage has not spoken to her father since he blocked her appointment as director six years ago. A third horse in the race is musicologist Nike Wagner, also 62, and Mr Wagner's niece.
The foundation had already asked the three candidates to present their concepts for the festival by next spring.
There is general agreement in Bayreuth that the festival is in need of an artistic overhaul after years of stagnation on Mr Wagner's watch.
Following Ms Wagner's death, the search for a successor - and a fresh concept for the 131-year-old festival - has taken on a new and unexpected urgency. Once Ms Wagner is buried, the final battle will commence for the crown of Germany's ersatz royal family.