Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World

Visions of Wagner

Few composers embrace such a span of disciplines — musicological, philosophical, historical, political, philological — as Richard Wagner. To what extent does the wide-ranging, comprehensive nature of Wagner’s works militate against a true understanding of them? How close are we, in his bicentenary year, to an understanding that does them justice? The following illustrations from The Sorcerer of Bayreuth: Richard Wagner, his Work and his World demonstrate the variety of perspectives on Wagner, from outdated stereotypes to new reappraisals.

Recent Comments

  1. […] silks and soft furnishings was scandalously revealed when letters to his designer were published, leading to caricatures spoofing ‘Frou-Frou-Wagner’. Such was his renown that he was the subject of numerous cartoons in his lifetime, and almost […]

Comments are closed.