Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama

The cultural controversies he helped to create have long since died down, but Richard Wagner stillremains a polarizing icon. Just as he dreamed of combining the arts, his influence extends well beyond the field of classical music to theater, literature, painting, and more. Wagner represents a phenomenon which is hard to ignore. His compulsive need to document his thoughts?apart from his art?finds an echo in the enormous body of explanation Wagner has inspired. Yet even with so much written about him, Wagner continues to be a deeply misunderstood figure. This guide aims to unlock the world of Richard Wagner and his works, his monumental achievements, and, ultimately, the great emotional power inherent in his art. This emotional power is double-edged, often serving as a kind of mirror for what each listener brings to it. The book challenges the assumptions and stereotypes of the ?Wagnerian? idea of art.

Decoding Wagner presents a straightforward, fresh overview of what Wagner attempted to achieve with his ?artwork of the future.? Lively discussions of his major works place them in the context of his life and consider the interplay of dramatic and musical elements with philosophical ideas which are so unique to Wagner.

Two accompanying full-length CDs illustrate and trace his growth as a composer. DecodingWagner appraises the enormously expressive richness that continues to make his art compelling and relevant for contemporary audiences.

CD 1
1. Der fliegende Holländer: Overture
2. Tannhäuser: Elisabeth?s Greeting (?Dich teure Halle?)
3. Lohengrin: Prelude
4. Lohengrin: Lohengrin?s Narration (?In fernem Land?)
5. Tristan und Isolde: Prelude
6. Tristan und Isolde: Liebestod (?Mild und leise?)
7. Die Meistersinger: Sachs?s Act Three Monolog (?Wahn, Wahn?)
8. Die Meistersinger: Walther?s Prize Song (?Morgendlich leuchtend?)
9. Parsifal: Prelude
10. Parsifal: ?Good Friday Spell?

CD 2
Excerpts from the Ring
1. Das Rheingold: Prelude
2. Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla
3. Die Walküre: Siegmund and Sieglinde/Love Music
4. Die Walkure: Ride of the Valkyries
5. Die Walkure: Wotan?s Farewell
6. Siegfried: Siegfried?s Forging Song
7. Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
8. Siegfried: Siegfried and Brünnhilde/Love Duet
9. Götterdämmerung: Hagen?s Watch
10. Götterdämmerung: Siegfried?s Death
11. Götterdämmerung: Brünnhilde?s Immolation