It was Wieland who took over the directorship and, by dispensing with much of the traditional symbolism of Wagnerian production, not only restored Bayreuth's reputation but enhanced it.
As the thud of mortar rounds shook the adjacent street and the rattle of machine guns came from nearby, the rebel fighters advanced under sniper fire from the surrounding rooftops.
In a land swept by typhoons and shaken by earthquakes, how have Japan's tallest and seemingly flimsiest old buildings—500 or so wooden pagodas—remained standing for centuries?