Richard Wagner is not the only artist who has provoked controversy because of his non-artistic conduct. Many lovers of art have reviled the artist. We can think of Ezra Pound, Philip Larkin, Christopher Marlowe, George Gordon Lord Byron, Albert Speer, and Robert Frost among those whose art we are eager to teach our children, but […]
T The role of Siegfried is difficult for modern audiences to accept. It’s hard to admire this lout, this bully, this self-centered brute. A recent teen video restores the character of Siegfried to what one must conclude was Wagner’s original intent – as an exciting charismatic hero of durable cultural meaning – an icon. “Siegfried […]
A few years ago I was walking back to the parking lot after attending a riveting performance of Siegfried at the Met, and joined a young man waiting for the pedestrian signal to change, carrying a trumpet case and wearing formal dress. “Great show,” I said. “Yeah,” he responded. “It’s an amazing score, isn’t it?” […]
We have received a press release from the Hartford [CT] Wagner Festival, announcing a new production of Das Rheingold in August 2014 at the Roberts Theater of the Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, CT. The plan is to mount one drama each summer and to present two complete Ring Cycles each year beginning in […]
The current issue of the invaluable Wagner Journal includes an article by Michael Trimble, Dale C. Hesdorffer and Robert Letellier on “The Mystery of Wotan’s Missing Eye.” It reports on a study of production photographs concluding that, though the author never provided for instructions, nearly all actors playing Wotan portrayed a damaged left eye rather […]
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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