Radiant blue eyes, lips painted a garish red, dyed blond hair, flashy clothes: not everyone took a liking to Friedelind Wagner when she returned to Germany in 1953, after over a decade as an émigré abroad. Now a US citizen, she had come back to attend the Bayreuth Festival founded by her famous grandfather in 1876.

Friedelind Wagner, great-granddaughter of Liszt, granddaughter of Cosima and Richard Wagner and the daughter of Winifred and Siegfried, was a strong-willed personality who talked much: too much, some thought. Her arguments were loud and passionate, often undiplomatic to the point of tactlessness. Yet she exuded an aura that fascinated others. Certainly, Friedelind's profile was strikingly similar to that of her grandfather, whose oeuvre is among the most significant achievements in music history. But she also possessed a razor-sharp wit, intellectual agility and considerable charm, and all this had an impact on those around her. Nevertheless, hardly any other member of the extensive Wagner family has had to endure as much invective as Friedelind, or so many untruths. These have ranged from the implicitly derogatory (‘the Valkyrie of the jet age’) to vulgar, threatening letters. Such attacks were undoubtedly prompted in part by her often rebellious manner and her fondness for making provocative statements. But they were equally a result of her opposition to much of what was held up as holy in Bayreuth. She took a stand against her mother, against the rehabilitation of ex-Nazis in post-war Germany, and against attempts by her brother Wolfgang to block the next generation of Wagners from directing in Bayreuth.