Richard Wagner is remembered as one of the most influential figures in music and theatre, but his place in history has been marked by a considerable amount of controversy. His attitudes towards the Jews and the appropriation of his operas by the Nazis, for example, have helped to construct a historical persona that sits uncomfortably with modern sensibilities. Yet Wagner's absolutely central position in the operatic canon continues. This volume serves as a timely reminder of his ongoing musical, cultural, and political impact. Contributions by specialists from such varied fields as musical history, German literature and cultural studies, opera production, and political science consider a range of topics, from trends and problems in the history of stage production to the representations of gender and sexuality. With the inclusion of invaluable and reliably up-to-date biographical data, this collection will be of great interest to scholars, students, and enthusiasts.
Edited by:
Thomas S. Grey (Stanford University California)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 246mm,
Width: 173mm,
Spine: 24mm
Weight: 780g
ISBN: 9780521644396
ISBN 10: 0521644399
Series: Cambridge Companions to Music
Pages: 388
Publication Date: 07 November 2008
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Chronology; Part I. Biographical and Historical Contexts: 1. Wagner lives: issues in autobiography John Deathridge; 2. Meister Richard's apprenticeship: the early operas (1833–40) Thomas S. Grey; 3. To the Dresden barricades: the genesis of Wagner's political ideas Mitchell Cohen; Part II. Opera, Music, Drama: 4. The 'Romantic operas' and the turn to myth Stewart Spencer; 5. Der Ring des Nibelungen: conception and interpretation Barry Millington; 6. Leitmotif, temporality, and musical design in the Ring Thomas S. Grey; 7. Tristan und Isolde: essence and appearance John Daverio; 8. Performing Germany in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Stephen McClatchie; 9. Parsifal: redemption and Kunstreligion Glenn Stanley; Part III. Ideas and Ideology in the Gesamtkunstwerk: 10. The urge to communicate: the prose writings as theory and practice James Treadwell; 11. Critique as passion and polemic: Nietzsche and Wagner Dieter Borchmeyer; 12. The Jewish question Thomas S. Grey; Part IV. After Wagner: Influence and Interpretation: 13. 'Wagnerism': responses to Wagner in music and the arts Annegret Fauser; 14. Wagner and the Third Reich: myths and realities Pamela M. Potter; 15. Wagner on stage: aesthetic, dramaturgical, and social considerations Mike Ashman; 16. Criticism and analysis: current perspectives Arnold Whittall.
Thomas S. Grey is Associate Professor in Music at Stanford University.
Reviews for The Cambridge Companion to Wagner
This volume provides a balanced introduction to the composer's life, times, works, and reception. A useful chronology ... The repolitiizing of the 'Wagner question' is unquestionably one of this book's strengths and certain to make it compelling to a wide variety of readers. Choice
