Two of Richard Wagner's great-granddaughters will unite to lead the annual opera festival founded by the legendary composer, according to German reports.

The composer's grandson, Wolfgang Wagner, 88, has led the prestigious Bayreuth festival for more than five decades and, for years, refused to hand over the reins.

Katharina Wagner, seen with her father Wolfgang in 2007, says in an interview that she has reconciled with her half-sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier and they are working on a joint leadership proposal for the Bayreuth festival.
(Eckehard Schulz/Associated Press)

More recently, he appeared to be grooming Katharina Wagner, his 29-year-old daughter from his second marriage, to take his place — to the consternation of many, who felt that she lacked experience.

Her Bayreuth debut, an edgy new production of Wagner's Die Mestersinger von Nuernberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) in 2007, won praise for its boldness from some, but was panned by many others.

The elder Wagner had long been estranged from Eva Wagner-Pasquier, his 62-year-old daughter from his first marriage and an experienced arts and culture manager who has the support of the Richard Wagner Foundation — a key group behind the annual festival.

The two half-sisters recently buried the hatchet — to their father's approval and delight, Katharina Wagner told Germany's Die Welt newspaper for its Monday edition.

Saying the reconciliation was prompted by her mother's death late last year, Wagner said that she and her half-sister are working out a leadership plan for the future of the festival. They have been asked to submit a proposal by April 29.

Ready to retire

Last week, German media reported that the senior Wagner had finally admitted he was ready to retire and expressed this in a letter to the festival's board earlier this month.

His spokesman, Peter Emmerich, confirmed on Monday that Wagner plans to step down and is in favour of a co-directorship by his two daughters.

Richard Wagner built an opera house in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth and founded the festival in 1876 expressly to debut his epic, four-opera masterpiece Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).

Popularly known as the Ring cycle, the mythical series based on Norse legends comprises the operas Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), Die Walkure (The Valkyrie), Siegfried and Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods).

The event has become one of the world's preeminent celebrations of Wagner's music, with tickets to the annual summertime festival made available through an intricate computerized lottery system tied to a years-long waiting list.

With files from the Associated Press