Despite the claims of such chic newcomers as Spoleto, Europe's two most important music festivals remain Salzburg and Bayreuth. As they opened last weekBayreuth with new productions of all four operas of Richard Wagner's Ring, and Salzburg with a new Festspielhaus reputed to be the world's most technically advanced theaterboth festivals were musically still far ahead of most other summer fare, but seemed disappointing compared to the success of past seasons.
At Bayreuth, Wagner's grandson Wolfgang was up. to his old tricks: stripped down, sparsely lighted productions designed to free the stern old...