author
Richard Wagner
1813–1883
A towering and controversial figure in 19th-century music, this German composer reshaped opera into sweeping music dramas filled with myth, passion, and bold orchestral color. His works still define the grand scale of Romantic opera, from the Ring cycle to Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal.
15 Audiobooks
My Life — Volume 1
by Richard Wagner
The Valkyries
by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson, Richard Wagner
Der Fliegende Hollaender The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
La Tétralogie de l'Anneau du Nibelung
by Richard Wagner
Tristan and Isolda: Opera in Three Acts
by Richard Wagner
Parsifal A Mystical Drama by Richard Wagner Retold in the Spirit of the Bayreuth Interpretation
by Oliver Huckel, Richard Wagner
The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie The Ring of the Niblung, part 1
by Richard Wagner
My Life — Volume 2
by Richard Wagner
Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods The Ring of the Niblung, part 2
by Richard Wagner
Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt — Volume 2
by Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt
On Conducting (Üeber Das Dirigiren) : A Treatise on Style in the Execution of Classical Music
by Richard Wagner
Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt — Volume 1
by Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt
Stories from Wagner
by J. Walker (Joseph Walker) McSpadden, Richard Wagner
Le Vaisseau fantôme (Der Fliegende Holländer)
by Richard Wagner
About the author
Born in Leipzig on May 22, 1813, Richard Wagner became one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. He was unusual among opera composers because he wrote both the music and the librettos for his stage works, aiming to unite drama, poetry, and music into a single powerful form.
His major works include The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, and the four-opera Ring cycle. Wagner also played a central role in creating the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, where a theater was built specifically for his works and where they are still performed today.
Wagner’s artistic impact was enormous, but his legacy is also complicated. Alongside his musical innovations, he wrote polemical essays and remains a deeply debated historical figure. He died in Venice on February 13, 1883, yet his music continues to inspire admiration, argument, and fascination in equal measure.