Letter from Bayreuth

For anyone making their first pilgrimage to the Bayreuth Festival—the annual north Bavarian homage to the mature operas of Richard Wagner—be prepared to be overwhelmed. Never mind the multiple, long afternoons and evenings at the Festspielhaus, parsing some of the brainiest opera productions on the international circuit. You could easily make the picturesque town itself the focus of your visit. With roots going back to 1194, it came to full flower in the 18 century, spawning its own ‘Bayreuth Rococo’ style of architecture which reached an apogee in the highly ornate Margravial Opera House (think the optimal setting for any baroque-inspired production you might have seen