We pause in our Wagner musings for a report on a purveyor of pure beauty. Sony has released a huge (61-CD, 3-DVD) collection of the complete recordings under its label by Austrian cellist and conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1929-2016). To sample through this gargantuan box is to hop from one point of perfection to another. […]
If the entire Ring Cycle now being mounted at the Chicago Lyric Opera has even a fraction of the intellect and panache that the first installment, Das Rheingold, displays, then the Windy City is in for a treat. Between the Cubs and David Pountney, Chicago is having a hell of a good Fall. Musically, the […]
The Met Opera opened its season with a new production of Tristan und Isolde Sein Vater, using Wagner’s score (if not his story) in a sumptuously, even thrillingly rendered performance. Simon Rattle was true to his name and shook both the score and the audience of preconceptions. It felt a bit long and all the […]
A useful and robust, if perhaps not mainstream, group of review of the Bayreuth season’s offerings is available at and well worth a visit.
Judith Gautier’s memoir, Wagner at Home, offers a charming and revealing perspective on life at Triebschen. Gautier, the daughter of influential French dramatist and journalist Theophile, was invited by Wagner to visit after publishing several complimentary articles on his work. Upon her arrival she was greeted enthusiastically by Wagner and introduced to “Frau von Bulow, […]
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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