Sunday 4 November 2007

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).

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