Acts: The Autobiography of Wolfgang Wagner Book

The name of Wagner is associated with some of the greatest operas ever written, but also with German fascism, Hitler and the rise of the Nazi state. It has been a double-edged inheritance for his children and grandchildren. Wolfgang Wagner is the grandson of the composer, who died when Wolfgang was 11 years old. Now the head of the Bayreuth Festival, which is dedicated to Wagner's works, and famously outspoken, Wolfgang tells the story of his extraordinary family: their connections with Hitler, and feuds down the generations. Even today, as Wolfgang prepares to retire, the war of the Bayreuth succession is being bitterly fought. Wolfgang's mother, Winifred, was a formidable Englishwoman of pronounced Nazi sympathies, who helped to forge the links between the Nazis and Bayreuth which almost destroyed it. With his brother Wieland having fled Germany after the war, it fell to Wolfgang to rescue the reputation of Wagner and Bayreuth, and to restore the Festival to its place among the great artistic events. This he did with spectacular success, and today Bayreuth is a showplace of international talent. Frank and controversial, Wolfgang Wagner's autobiography will be published to coincide with his 70th birthday, his final production of the Ring and his retirement from the Bayreuth Festival.Read More