Drama and the World of Richard Wagner


Book Description

Richard Wagner continues to be the most controversial artist in history, a perpetually troubling figure in our cultural consciousness. The unceasing debate over his works and their impact--for and against--is one reason why there has been no genuinely comprehensive modern account of his musical dramas until now. Dieter Borchmeyer's book is the first to present an overall picture of these musical dramas from the standpoint of literary and theatrical history. It extends from the composer's early works--still largely ignored--to the Ring Cycle and Parsifal, and includes Wagner's unfinished works and operas he never set to music. Through lively prose, we come to see Wagner as a librettist--and as a man of letters--rather than primarily as musical composer. Borchmeyer uncovers a vast field of cultural and historical cross-references in Wagner's works. In the first part of the book, he sets out in search of the various archetypal scenes, opening up the composer's dramatic workshop to the reader. He covers all of Wagner's operas, from early juvenilia to the canonical later works. The second part examines Wagner in relation to political figures including King Ludwig II and Bismarck, and, importantly, in light of critical reactions by literary giants--Thomas Mann, whom Borchmeyer calls "a guiding light in this exploration of the fields that Wagner tilled," and Nietzsche, whose appeal to "philology" is a key source of inspiration in attempts to grapple with Wagner's works. For more than twenty years, Borchmeyer has placed his scholarship at the service of the famed Bayreuth Festival. With this volume, he gives us a summation of decades of engagement with the phenomenon of Wagner and, at the same time, the result of an abiding critical passion for his works.




The Art-Work of the Future and Other Works


Book Description

Poor, frustrated, and angered by the ?fashion-mongers and mode-purveyors? of art, Richard Wagner published The Art-Work of the Future in 1849. It marked a turning point in his life: an appraisal of the revolutionary passions of mid-century Europe, his farewell to symphonic music, and his vision of the music to come. ø Beethoven?s Ninth Symphony was unsurpassable, he wrote. Henceforth "The Folk must of necessity be the Artist of the Future," and only artists who were in harmony with the Folk could know what harmony was for. The essay became a touchstone for Wagner, his family, friends, and followers, as he sought to produce works that thoroughly combined music, dance, drama, and national saga. ø In addition to Wagner?s epoch-defining essay, this volume includes his "Autobiographical Sketch," "Art and Climate"; his libretto for an opera, "Wieland the Smith"; and his notorious "Art and Revolution." The concluding piece, "A Communication to My Friends (1851), explains his views on his first successes?The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, and TannhÜuser?and defines his agenda for later works. ø As spokesman for the future, Wagner spoke most of himself. In these works he set forth his ambitions, identified his enemies, and began a campaign for public attention that made him a legend in his own time and in ours.




Delphi Masterworks of Richard Wagner (Illustrated)


Book Description

The operas of the German composer Richard Wagner had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his works. He went on to revolutionise the music form through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art), by which he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama. He achieved these ideas most fully in his epic cycle of operas 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', notable for complex textures, rich harmonies and the elaborate use of leitmotifs. Delphi’s Great Composers Series offers concise illustrated guides to the life and works of our greatest composers. Analysing the masterworks of each composer, these interactive eBooks include links to popular streaming services, allowing you to listen to the pieces of music you are reading about. Evaluating the masterworks of each composer, you will explore the development of their works, tracing how they changed the course of music history. Whether a classical novice or a cultivated connoisseur, this series offers an intriguing overview of the world’s most famous and iconic compositions. This volume presents Wagner’s masterworks in succinct detail, with informative introductions, accompanying illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus features. (Version 1) * Concise and informative overview of Wagner’s masterworks* Learn about the operas that made Wagner a celebrated composer* Links to popular streaming services (free and paid), allowing you to listen to the masterpieces you’re reading about* Features a special ‘Complete Compositions’ section, with an index of Wagner’s complete works and links to streaming services* English translations of the librettos for the major operas, including works appearing for the first time in digital print* A wide selection of the composer’s prose works, including fiction, pioneering essays and Wagner’s celebrated autobiography* Includes Wagner’s letters to Franz Liszt — explore the composer’s personal correspondence* Features six biographies on the great composer — explore Wagner's intriguing musical and personal life Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting eBooks CONTENTS: The MasterworksSymphony in C MajorDas LiebesverbotFaust OvertureRienziDer fliegende HolländerTannhäuserLohengrinDas RhinegoldDie WalküreTristan und IsoldeWesendonck LiederDie Meistersinger von NürnbergSiegfriedSiegfried IdyllGötterdämmerungParsifal Complete CompositionsIndex of Wagner’s Compositions Selected LibrettosDer fliegende HolländerLohengrinDas RhinegoldDie WalküreTristan und IsoldeSiegfriedGötterdämmerungParsifal Selected ProseAutobiographic SketchOn German OperaArt and RevolutionThe Art-Work of the FutureJudaism in MusicA Communication to My FriendsOpera and DramaBeethovenWhat is German?An End in ParisOn ConductingReligion and Art The LettersCorrespondence of Wagner and Liszt The AutobiographyMy Life The BiographiesRichard Wagner: His Life and His Dramas by W. J. HendersonLife of Wagner by Ludwig NohlRichard Wagner, Composer of Operas by John F. RuncimanWagner by Paul RosenfeldWagner as I Knew Him by Ferdinand PraegerRichard Wagner by Rupert Hughes Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of exciting titles




Richard Wagner


Book Description

An illuminating 1902 account of Wagner's life and artistic aims, with an analysis of each of his music dramas.










The Life of Richard Wagner


Book Description

Newman's Life of Wagner, published between 1933 and 1947, the culmination of forty years' research, is a classic biography.




Richard Wagner and the Jews


Book Description

It is well known that Richard Wagner, the renowned and controversial 19th century composer, exhibited intense anti-Semitism. The evidence is everywhere in his writings as well as in conversations his second wife recorded in her diaries. In his infamous essay "Judaism in Music," Wagner forever cemented his unpleasant reputation with his assertion that Jews were incapable of either creating or appreciating great art. Wagner's close ties with many talented Jews, then, are surprising. Most writers have dismissed these connections as cynical manipulations and rank hypocrisy. Examination of the original sources, however, reveals something different: unmistakeable, undeniable empathy and friendship between Wagner and the Jews in his life. Indeed, the composer had warm relationships with numerous individual Jews. Two of them resided frequently over extended periods in his home. One of these, the rabbi's son Hermann Levi, conducted Wagner's final opera--Parsifal, based on Christian legend--at Wagner's request; no one, Wagner declared, understood his work so well. Even in death his Jewish friends were by his side; two were among his twelve pallbearers. The contradictions between Wagner's antipathy toward the amorphous entity "The Jews" and his genuine friendships with individual Jews are the subject of this book. Drawing on extensive sources in both German and English, including Wagner's autobiography and diary and the diaries of his second wife, this comprehensive treatment of Wagner's anti-Semitism is the first to place it in perspective with his life and work. Included in the text are portions of unpublished letters exchanged between Wagner and Hermann Levi. Altogether, the book reveals astonishing complexities in a man long known as much for his prejudice as for his epic contributions to opera.




... Catalogue of Printed Books


Book Description