Richard Wagner (1813-1883) aimed to be more than just a
composer. He set out to redefine opera as a "total work of art"
combining the highest aspirations of drama, poetry, the symphony,
the visual arts, even religion and philosophy. Equally celebrated
and vilified in his own time, Wagner continues to provoke debate
today regarding his political legacy as well as his music and
aesthetic theories. "Wagner and His World" examines his works in
their intellectual and cultural contexts.
Seven original essays investigate such topics as music drama in
light of rituals of naming in the composer's works and the politics
of genre; the role of leitmotif in Wagner's reception; the urge for
extinction in "Tristan und Isolde" as psychology and symbol; Wagner
as his own stage director; his conflicted relationship with
pianist-composer Franz Liszt; the anti-French satire "Eine
Kapitulation" in the context of the Franco-Prussian War; and
responses of Jewish writers and musicians to Wagner's
anti-Semitism. In addition to the editor, the contributors are
Karol Berger, Leon Botstein, Lydia Goehr, Kenneth Hamilton,
Katherine Syer, and Christian Thorau.
This book also includes translations of essays, reviews, and
memoirs by champions and detractors of Wagner; glimpses into his
domestic sphere in Tribschen and Bayreuth; and all of Wagner's
program notes to his own works. Introductions and annotations are
provided by the editor and David Breckbill, Mary A. Cicora, James
Deaville, Annegret Fauser, Steven Huebner, David Trippett, and
Nicholas Vazsonyi.
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