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A house named for peace. A theatre built for myth. A festival that nearly collapsed before it began. In today’s episode, Donald Macleod follows Wagner into the final act of his life as he realises his last great dream: the Bayreuth Festival. From the design of the Festspielhaus to the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, we follow Wagner’s relentless pursuit of artistic control. Parsifal, Act III Suite, ed. Abbado: Good Friday MusicBerliner Philharmoniker Claudio Abbado, conductor Götterdammerung, Siegfried’s Funeral MarchThe Cleveland Orchestra George Szell, conductor Siegfried, extract from Act II Scene 1Simon O'Neill (Siegfried), tenorMichael Volle (Wanderer), baritonePeter Hoare (Mime), tenorAnja Kampe (Brünnhilde), sopranoFranz-Josef Selig (Fafner), bassGerhild Romberger (Erda), contraltoDanae Kontora (Waldvogel), sopranoSymphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Sir Simon Rattle, conductor Kinder-Katechismus  Vienna Boys’ Choir Wiener Philharmoniker Sir Georg Solti, conductor Die Walküre, Act III Scene 3: Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire MusicBerlin Philharmoniker Herbert von Karajan, conductor Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West.