Wagner, Wieland (Adolf Gottfried)

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Wagner, Wieland (Adolf Gottfried) (b Bayreuth, 1917; d Munich, 1966). Ger. opera producer and designer. Son of Siegfried Wagner. Worked among stage staff at pre–1939 Bayreuth Fests. and designed scenery for Parsifal (1937), and Die Meistersinger (1943). With his brother Wolfgang Wagner became art. dir. of Bayreuth Fest. 1951 and revolutionized Wagner prods., causing intense controversy. Scrapped representational productions, substituting settings with little scenery, emphasis on lighting, and all-purpose circular platform. Many of Wagner's stage directions were ignored. Also prod. operas by other composers at Hamburg, Stuttgart, etc., notably Fidelio (1954), from which he removed spoken dialogue, and Salome (1962).