My brother Paul, of blessed memory, hated Tannhäuser. He said there was “too much Jesus in it.” I haven’t seen it since th 2012 Bayreuth production (since mercifully withdrawn) and I was happy to have another look during the recent Met revival of the boring and pretty Otto Schenck production. Tannhäuser is the second of the three […]
It is a source of unspeakable pleasure for me to learn new things just about every time I attend a Wagner performance. This is especially true where, as is the case with Carmen Jakobi’s production in Longborough, the action of the play is presented so uncluttered and so unencumbered, and the artists’ mission is understood […]
I was privileged to nab a ticket to the third of four scheduled performances of Tristan und Isolde at the Longborough Festival Opera on June 18. It was delightful in every way. There is a way of going about this, and thanks to my English companion I was taught it as I went along. The […]
An article appearing in the current issue of Wagner Journal addresses a subject about which I had been completely uninformed. The lead sentence: Richard Wagner’s eldest daughter, Isolde, had the idea of celebrating his 67th birthday on 22 May 1880 by wrapping the pots of gift rosebushes with paintings representing each year of his life. […]
After just an unconscionably long time, I have finally got to page 319 of Richard H. Bell’s fine study, Wagner’s Parsifal: An Appreciation in the Light of His Theological Journey. I am very grateful to Mr. Bell for his discipline and erudition, and for shedding light on both the splendid final work of this master […]
The Wagner Blog is a forum for discussion of contemporary themes arising from the works of Richard Wagner. Discussions relating to Wagner’s musical, literary, theatrical, philosophical, political and theoretic work are all appropriate for this forum.
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