Wagner - Hardcover
A critical reappraisal of arguably the greatest of all opera composers, by one of Britain’s most refreshing and original writers on classical music.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
"Tanner belongs in [the] tiny but distinguished company of committed Wagnerians who write extraordinarily well . . . His observations are consistently fresh and provocative, often as witty as they are arresting . . . . His short book is a joy to read and worth dozens of longer ones."--G. W. Bowersock, Opera News
"Focused and concise. . . . [A] wonderfully open-minded book."--Rupert Christiansen, Sunday Telegraph
"[A] quietly magnificent study of one of the most controversial figures in modern music."--Virginia Quarterly Review
"The most spirited and unapologetic book about Wagner to appear in a long time. . . . Fine, intellectually sparkling, and always engaging. . . . A welcome addition to any Wagner library."--Wagner Notes
"[Tanner] provides a valuable study of the meaning and significance of Richard Wagner's music dramas. . . . Tanner leads the reader to understand Wagner's lifelong preoccupations, the common threads and themes that underlie his production."--Choice
From the Back Cover:
"Focused and concise. . . . [A] wonderfully open-minded book."--Rupert Christiansen, Sunday Telegraph
"[A] quietly magnificent study of one of the most controversial figures in modern music."--Virginia Quarterly Review
"The most spirited and unapologetic book about Wagner to appear in a long time. . . . Fine, intellectually sparkling, and always engaging. . . . A welcome addition to any Wagner library."--Wagner Notes
"[Tanner] provides a valuable study of the meaning and significance of Richard Wagner's music dramas. . . . Tanner leads the reader to understand Wagner's lifelong preoccupations, the common threads and themes that underlie his production."--Choice
Whilst no one would dispute Wagner's ranking amongst the most significant composers in the history of Western music, his works have been more fiercely attacked than those of any other composer. A racist, womaniser, megalomaniac and anti-Semite, Wagner’s personal 'defects' have provoked, and continue to provoke, intense hostility which has translated into a mistrust and abhorrence of his music.
In this emphatic, lucid book Michael Tanner discusses why people feel so passionately for or against Wagner, in a way that don't about other artists with equally lamentable personal traits. He lays out the various arguments made by Wagner's detractors and admires, and challenges most of them.
Tanner's fascination for the relationship between music, text and plot generates an illuminating discussion of the operas, in which he persuades us to see many of Wagner's best-known works afresh – 'The Ring, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal'. He refrains from lengthy and detailed musical examination, giving instead passionate and unconventional analyses which are accessible to all lovers of music, be they listeners or performers.
In this fiery reassessment of one of the greatest composers in the history of opera Tanner presents the most intelligent and controversial portrait of Wagner to emerge for many years.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherHarperCollins
- Publication date1996
- ISBN 10 0002555328
- ISBN 13 9780002555326
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages288
- Rating
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