author
Richard Wagner
1813–1883
A towering and still controversial figure in music, he reshaped opera by blending poetry, drama, and orchestral color into vast, emotionally charged works. Best known for epic creations like the Ring cycle, he left a mark on Western music that composers and audiences still wrestle with today.
15 Audiobooks
My Life — Volume 1
by Richard Wagner
The Valkyries
by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson, Richard Wagner
Tristan and Isolda: Opera in Three Acts
by Richard Wagner
La Tétralogie de l'Anneau du Nibelung
by Richard Wagner
Der Fliegende Hollaender The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie The Ring of the Niblung, part 1
by Richard Wagner
Parsifal A Mystical Drama by Richard Wagner Retold in the Spirit of the Bayreuth Interpretation
by Oliver Huckel, 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
On Conducting (Üeber Das Dirigiren) : A Treatise on Style in the Execution of Classical Music
by Richard Wagner
Stories from Wagner
by J. Walker (Joseph Walker) McSpadden, Richard Wagner
Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt — Volume 2
by Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt
Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt — Volume 1
by Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt
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 defining composers of the 19th century. He was unusual among opera composers because he wrote both the music and the libretti for his stage works, and he pushed the idea that music, drama, poetry, and design should work together as a single artistic whole.
His major works include The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, and the four-opera Ring cycle. Wagner's rich orchestration, use of recurring musical ideas, and bold harmonic language changed the direction of opera and influenced generations of composers.
His life was as dramatic as his art: it included political exile, heavy debt, powerful supporters such as King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and the creation of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre, built for the performance of his works. He died in Venice on February 13, 1883. Wagner remains one of classical music's most important figures, admired for his artistic ambition and debated for the views expressed in some of his writings.