da: The Washington post
Wolfgang Wagner, grandson of composer Richard Wagner, who ran the annual Wagner opera festival in Bayreuth, Germany, for 57 years before stepping down in 2008, died March 21 at his home in Bayreuth. He was 90 years old. A cause of death was not reported.
Autocratic, controversial and determined, Mr. Wagner retained power at the center of a maelstrom of family dispute for more than half a century. The festival at Bayreuth was founded by Richard Wagner in 1876, remains devoted solely to the performance of Wagner’s works and has only been run by members of the Wagner family.
Mr. Wagner and his older brother, Wieland, co-managed the festival from 1951 until 1966, rehabilitating and distancing it from its Nazi connections. After his brother’s death, Mr. Wagner assumed sole control and continued to…