Richard Wagner Biography and Discography
Richard Wagner BiographyRichard Wagner was born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany. His father died that same year and in 1914 Wagner's mother remarried (to an actor) and moved the family to Dresden. Wagner was part of a theatrical family, and at age fifteen, he wrote a play, and at sixteen he composed two piano sonatas and a string quartet. In 1831 Wagner attended Leipzig University, and he also studied piano and composition (although he is largely self taught). Early on, Richard Wagner composed some concert overtures and a symphony before focusing on opera. He began an incomplete opera called Die Hochzeit (The Wedding). In 1834 Wagner completed Die Feen (The Fairies), but it was not performed until after his death. His first opera to be performed was Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love), with a libretto he adapted himself from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Wagner's next opera, Rienzi, was completed in 1840, and he immediately started work on that The Flying Dutchman, completing it in 1841. Rienzi was produced in Dresden at this time, and was such a success that The Flying Dutchman was also produced. In 1845 Tannhäuser was completed and performed, and his next opera, Lohengrin, was completed in 1848. At this time, Wagner fled Germany after he had supported political revolution there. While in exile (in Weimar, Switzerland and France), Richard Wagner began work on the Ring Cycle, which began as one opera, Siegfried's Death. Wagner felt it needed a preface, so he wrote a libretto for Young Siegfried. He continued working backwards on a cycle of operas to tell the entire story of the Rhinegold and the fall of the Norse gods. After completing librettos for Die Walküre and Das Rheingold, Wagner revised Young Siegfried into Siegfried and Siegfried's Death into Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods). To tie these multiple works together, Wagner used the Leitmotiv (leading motif) - an identifying musical theme for each character, important object or concept. During his time in exile, Wagner also wrote numerous essays on non-musical subjects with strong anti-Semitic content and thoughts on racial purity, which lead to his music being used and endorsed by Adolf Hitler almost a century later. Richard Wagner began composing the music for The Ring Cycle, but abandoned work in 1857, and took a tWelve-year hiatus. In this time, Wagner wrote Tristan und Isolde (1859) and Die Meistersinger (1867), and the story of Parzival, about the Knights of the Grail. He also was alloWed to return to Germany in 1862. After the completion of Die Meistersinger, Wagner resumed work on the Ring Cycle. The first two Ring music dramas, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, Were first performed in 1869. He spent the first half of the 1870s completing work on Gotterdammerung and Siegfried. In 1876, the complete Der Ring des Nibelungen was performed. The entire cycle of four operas consisted of about eighteen hours of music. Wagner then completed work to Parsifal, as he now re-spelled the title and it was premiered on 1882. During work on Parsifal, Wagner began suffering angina attacks, and moved to Italy after its premiere. He had a heart attack in Venice and died on February 13, 1883. Sell your CDs and DVDs or visit Northern California Replay Records. Our new and used CDs, LPs, Casette Tapes, DVDs. Northern California Replay Records has paid best prices. No collection too large. titles in have. Directions to Northern California Replay Records Northern California Record Store
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