Dancing with Uncle Wolf: Richard Moukarzel is unconvinced by an operatic depiction of Wagner’s legacy

The seasoned Wagner Journal reader may be familiar with the rustic charms of Longborough – I was not. Brainchild of the late Martin Graham, Cotswold-lad-turned-opera-visionnaire, the festival takes place every year within the walls of a former barn – in which, I am told, chickens were sometimes kept. This delightful venue is one of the many bucolic getaways that sprout all across England at the opening of the summer season, with long breaks during which one may enjoy the outdoor gardens – weather allowing.

Alas, no chickens were seen on this opening night, although many a strange bird graced the stage. Avner Dorman’s Wahnfried: The Birth of the Wagner Cult (2016), on a libretto by Lutz Hübner and Sarah Nemitz, explores the problematic afterlife of Wagner’s legacy and ideas in the decades following the composer’s death.