"Great Operas of Wagner" is a hardback compendium of Michael
Steen's eGuides (internet guides) to all the operas composed by
Richard Wagner, the great German opera composer. The book is a
companion to "Great Operas of Puccini", a similar hardback being
published simultaneously. The books are associated with the series
of internet guides, "The Great Opera Companion" subtitled "Guides
to One hundred Best Operas". This is Steen's first venture into
hardback self-publication, having previously been involved in the
publication of internet ebooks. Recently, he has been developing
the series of internet guides, "The Great Opera Companion", (see
www.greatoperas.net). (1) Original purpose. The guides were
originally designed to inform the author's wife (who is not
especially enthusiastic about opera generally, or about Wagner), in
a quick, efficient, light and amusing way, about what it would help
her to know and expect when being taken to a performance. Also,
people generally find that they do not have time, and there are too
many distractions, to inform themselves once they have arrived in
the foyer. A broad-ranging but economical, practical, crisp, and
modern guide contributes greatly to appreciation and enjoyment. (2)
Structure helpful to the user. Each individual guide, or chapter,
is divided into sections. A quick grasp can be obtained from
BACKGROUND and the following WHO'S WHO and WHAT'S WHAT (a short
summary of the opera story and the roles). In TALKING POINTS the
information is expanded, and may possibly facilitate conversation
during the interval. ACT by ACT enables the opera-goer to `dig
deeper', to appreciate further detail about the story and aspects
of the music. The guides provide a brief potted biography of the
composer, or a cross reference to one. (3) Self-standing guides.
Each guide is self-standing and designed to be the sole point of
reference for a specific opera. In such a structure, there is an
inevitable element of duplication as information is amplified or
repeated. Steen has had to judge the balance between making each
guide easy to follow for the user, while avoiding too many
cross-references. And the self-standing guide on Wagner's "Ring",
(Part Two of the book) has been structured so that the individual
components may be used comfortably by both those primarily
interested in the full "Ring" cycle, on the one hand, and those
wanting a guide to just part of the cycle, on the other. In such a
structure, it is helpful for certain of the images to be repeated.
This also provides an element of unity and cohesion to the
publication. (4) Non-technical. It has been assumed that the user
has not necessarily been taught music but is motivated, educated
and intelligent. Only in the guides on the later Wagner operas are
there a small number of musical examples quoted. To help the
reader, the musical notation has been simplified. The examples are
necessary to elaborate on Wagner's objectives. And to give
substance to various expressions, such as to Wagner's `Tristan
chord' which greatly influenced subsequent music; and to his
leitmotives (recurring musical themes which Wagner uses to portray
a person, object or emotion etc.). (5) User-friendly: indexes,
summaries glossaries The hardbacks require indexes which are not so
necessary in the ebook environment. Both hardbacks include a
comprehensive index, including an index to some better known items,
choruses etc. in the operas (for example, The Pilgrims' Chorus, and
The Ride of the Valkyries). The Wagner book provides a separate
index for the Wagner family. The comprehensive index on Wagner
himself provides a means of following his personal and musical
development. For "The Ring", a glossary of what George Bernard Shaw
called `the curious harlequinade of gods, dwarfs and giants' is
provided. (6) What about productions? There is well-identified
controversy today about the extent to which it should be acceptable
for opera directors to change the time and/or the place of story,
the story itself, perhaps sensationalising it, maybe to attract and
retain an audience's attention or to make some political point.
Steen describes this as `hijacking' the opera. Each Guide carries a
warning that the guides cannot anticipate a particular production
which does not conform to the composer's intentions. Steen's
individual guides are based on the actual text and score. They act
as a benchmark against which an assessment can be made, albeit
subjectively, about whether the opera is indeed the `composer's
opera' or is mis-described as such. This is a judgemental matter.
Productions inevitably have to be changed (for there are no
castratos today, as there were in baroque opera) and they should
take advantage of modern technology. But arguably many directors
have pushed the limits beyond recognition such that it is
questionable whether a particular production should properly be
described as the composer's opera at all. Opera is entertainment.
However entertaining and enjoyable a great evening may have been
for an audience, the performance may have strayed beyond one which
is faithful to the composer's intentions. (7) What about other
opera guides - the associated eguides in "The Great Opera
Companion" series? As indicated above, Steen has been developing
the series of internet guides, "The Great Opera Companion"
subtitled "Guides to One hundred Best Operas". This was begun in
2012 with the publication, again by Icon, of the hardback
compendium "Great Operas - A Guide to 25 of the World's Finest
Musical Experiences". Individual internet guides (eGuides) were
subsequently published singly for iPad, Kindle etc. Apart from
those published by Icon, they were subsequently withdrawn when
their internet publisher (not Icon) unfortunately ceased trading
early in 2016. The first twenty-five (those published by Icon) were
supplemented in the further ebook compendiums "More Great Operas"
(ISBN 9781483569123) and "Many More Great Operas" (ISBN
9780995538511). For convenience, the latter, although subtitled "A
guide to 40 more of the world's finest musical experiences", has
been periodically supplemented by the addition of many appendices
of individual eGuides. (The series, as it stands, actually
comprises one hundred and twenty eGuides, and a few more, depending
on whether one counts one-act operas as one or two.) (8) What about
the other opera guides available? These guides are broader in
coverage, lighter in touch and more entertaining than opera
material which is generally available on the internet, or in the
standard hard-copy opera guides. They are easy to read, but
authoritative. They are full of insights. They enable the user to
get more value out of an evening at an opera, which is often an
expensive one. (9) Some hurdles encountered. The author experienced
various hiccups in the development of these guides, the most
memorable being in 2016 when, on a Friday night, he was notified
`out of the blue' that the company publishing on the internet had
ceased to trade and that the work-in-progress was lost in the
ether. It took a considerable time to recover the work. Steven
Weekes, the Irishman who had been handling the project, had lost
his job, and his working facilities (including his email address)
had been withdrawn. It took a long time to identify him, contact
him, and get the `show back on the road'. These guides are the
perfect accompaniment to a Wagner opera. They are also useful in
education, and in teaching musical appreciation. They will be
valued by old and young, seasoned and unseasoned, whether attending
Wagner performances in so many of the world's leading cities in
North and South America, Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe
perhaps Sydney, Tokyo, Covent Garden or the Met. Or in the UK, at
the innumerable venues, such as Glyndebourne. Even deep into the
countryside of the British Isles, say, at Longborough. And the
local village hall close to the author's home, which is amongst the
1,000 cinemas venues to which operas, including Wagner's are
streamed. ABOUT MICHAEL STEEN Steen is author of the acclaimed "The
Lives and Times of the Great Composers" (Icon, 2003). He has also
written "Pauline Viardot, Soprano Muse and Lover" (Icon, 2007)
about the nineteenth century French prima donna, and featuring her
great friends, the Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev and the composer
Charles Gounod. Recently, he has been developing the series of
internet guides, "The Great Opera Companion" subtitled "Guides to
One hundred Best Operas". Michael Steen OBE., Hon. RCM., was born
in Dublin. He studied at the Royal College of Music, and was the
organ scholar at Oriel College, Oxford. Opera has been one of his
great pleasures. During a successful thirty year career in the City
of London with KPMG, and afterwards, he has met many who go to it,
thus gaining considerable insight into the information which it
helps to know in order to enhance one's appreciation and enjoyment
of the opera experience. He has been the chairman of the RCM
Society and of the Friends of the V&A Museum, the Treasurer of
The Open University, and a trustee of Anvil Arts, The Gerald Coke
Handel Foundation and of The Royal College of Organists.
General
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