Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

[Panzerspitze]

[Split from Unidentified radio/newsreel music]

This sounds like a Liszt or Wagner piece, but I can't quite identify it. Prometheus? Les Preludes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVu5F7DJYlg

[Ivan Ž.]

It's the best stormy-sea-music ever composed: overture to "Der fliegende Holländer" by R. Wagner.

Cheers,
Ivan

[Panzerspitze]

Thanks!

[nibelung1876]

[Split from Bayreuther Festspiele]

Would like to add that despite the many Jewish Wagnerians, Wagner is still blamed by a lot of people for the Holocaust (while he died in 1883).
Yes it's true, Wagner was notoriously anti-Semitic, but in those days, almost everybody was, and not only Germans.
The dark shadow over Wagner's person and his work started with a very anti-Semitic essay of him "Das Judenthum in der Musik" (Judaïsm in Music), published in a music journal in 1850.
Later on, in 1869, published in bookform of which i have a first edition.

watermarked-P1330024.jpg

[P.J. Gray]

An essay I first read ten years ago in translation, the original later, but I have never seen the original edition before. My thanks again, sincerely.

[nibelung1876]

My pleasure!

And here's a 1942 newsreel with the ouverture of "Rienzi" playing in the background.
This ouverture was always used by Hitler to open the Nürnberg Party rallies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbfq3_Y8kQE

[Ivan Ž.]

Some nice images of Wagner, taken by Ludwig Angerer in Vienna, 1862.

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Source: http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/

[J. Duncan]

For those interested in Wagner , I just finished a very interesting book titled “Wagnerism” by Alex Ross. It’s an extremely erudite and entertaining book on Wagner’s influence on many artists and writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There is much on Chamberlain / Hitler of course, but also W. E. B. Dubois, Salvador Dali, Thomas Mann, Josephin Peladan, George Bernard Shaw, Wagner and homosexuals, occultism, feminism, left- wing movements as well as right - wing. It seems there was a “Wagner” for every kind of movement or “ism” . I liked the book and thought others would be interested.

There is a nice discussion on Wagner between author Alex Ross and UK Wagnerite Stephen Fry:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KJinipl0w0E

Fry (who is Jewish and gay) did a nifty film on his personal experience with his love of Wagner titled “Wagner and Me”. Bravo Mr. Fry.:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri8hYMSB2u8

[Wessel]

Two more interesting books for those interested in Wagner. The Magee one has been mentioned in a previous post and this concentrates on the influences on Wagner, especially that by Friedrich Nietzsche.
The book by Scruton dissects the Ring Cycle and details the symbolism contained in it.

[J. Duncan]

Good books all. Sadly, Roger Scruton passed away
January 2020.

[Hans1906]

Another internet article about Richard Wagner here in Wiesbaden:

Villa Wagner – Biebrich a. Rhein https://herrrothwandertwieder.de/villa- ... -mai-2019/

History, just around the next corner, by the way, in Wagner's time, the very best location, directly on the Rhine, little has changed, some live, others stick...


Hans1906

P.S. Building and location are already impressive, even today, should have seen once...

[J. Duncan]

Wow. Didn’t know Wagner spent time here.
Interesting. I have some very rare Wagneriania (photo books) that pinpoint some of his haunts. I’ll have to see if they mention this particular place.

[Ivan Ž.]

Fry (who is Jewish and gay) did a nifty film on his personal experience with his love of Wagner titled “Wagner and Me”. Bravo Mr. Fry.:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri8hYMSB2u8

Watched it three-four times A well-made documentary indeed. I particularly liked his stained-tapestry comparison at the end.

Cheers,
Ivan

[J. Duncan]

Glad you enjoyed it. I’ve seen it more than once as well. There is something soothing about Fry (his voice, manner, and his colorful vocabulary) I find appealing. I liked the scene where he entered the Festspiel for the first time, whispering that he had waited his whole life to enter.
The stained tapestry - perfect example of Fry’s ability to contextualize in very descriptive words and phrases. “Imagine a gorgeous tapestry of immense texture and color....but indelibly stained”

[Ivan Ž.]

I loved him as General Melchett in "Blackadder Goes Forth" (a fantastic, brutally comical character), but I knew nothing about him privately. So when I found out about this documentary, years ago, I was pleasantly surprised ("Melchett likes Wagner?") and expected something possibly even comical. But then I got surprised again. Ever since, I respected him even more, as an exceptionally intelligent and talented person that he is (he is indeed a splendid narrator, sincere and childishly passionate, but wise and cautious at the same time). The fact that he's Jewish (and gay) is in this particular case additionally significant, due to controversies surrounding Wagner's music (largely thanks to ignorant or narrow-minded people), which he also successively covered in his film. I can't, however, personally relate to Fry's obsession with Wagner (whose music I do love, just not on the same level), but I do understand and respect being passionate about something or someone that brings you joy or/and a meaning in life.

Once again, a highly-recommended film, which covers much more than just Wagner and his works. One can enjoy and learn something from it regardless of the level of their interest in this particular composer or music.

Cheers,
Ivan