Jul 25, 2009, 17:11 GMT
Bayreuth, Germany - The 98th Richard Wagner opera festival opened in Bayreuth on Saturday, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel topping a select audience at the opening performance, Tristan and Isolde.
Greek President Karolos Papoulias and European Union Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou accompanied the chancellor alongside politicians, prominent business figures and celebrities.
German Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Guido Westerwelle, leader of the opposition Federal Democrats (FDP), mingled with stars of the German stage.
Earlier in the day, the festival's new managers Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier spoke a brief word of welcome.
The half-sisters are great-grandchildren of the composer, who lived 1813-1883, and have taken over the management of the annual event from their father Wolfgang Wagner who retired last year, aged 89.
Katharina Wagner, 31, wished spectators a 'nice premiere,' before handing the microphone to media-shy Wagner-Pasquier, aged 64.
'I'm always considered a phantom and wanted to briefly introduce myself,' Wagner-Pasquier said. 'Until now, we have rarely appeared together, that will change from today.'
The festival, which is moving into the 21st century with video podcasts and a performance being screened for online viewers, is also staging a child-friendly performance of The Flying Dutchman which premiered earlier on Saturday.
Katharina Wagner said they intended to show a different piece for children each year.
'Of course it's a challenge to make every Wagner opera child- friendly,' she said.
Earlier in the day, the half-sisters said they wanted to reunite the Wagner family after years of feuding.
'We have already established contact to different family members,' Wagner-Pasquier told German daily Nordbayerischer Kurier.
Katharina Wagner appealed to their relatives to sit down and jointly discuss the problems, 'rather than washing the dirty laundry in the media.'
Wolfgang Wagner fell out with the family of his brother Wieland after his death in 1966, and for years Wieland Wagner's daughter Nike was one of the festival director's harshest critics.
The half-sisters' joint appointment as successors to their father was also preceded by months of feuding.
As a result, Katharina Wagner said only she would now speak in public for the two of them, to prevent people from overblowing any slight differences of opinion.
The half-sisters faced an initial challenge as the smooth running of this year's festival was threatened by a pay dispute between managers and the 140-odd stage hands working at the event.
A settlement was reached on Thursday.
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