It occurs to me that I ought to be putting up more Wagner music, as he is one of my favorites. So how about the Entrance of the Guests into the Wartburg from the opera Tannhäuser. It’s a rousing piece, sure to get your juices flowing. The situation is simple. There’s going to be a singing … Continue reading Entrance of the Guests
Wagner
It Ain’t Too Heavy
On the electoral-vote site there has been a bit of a brouhaha over the music of one Richard Wagner ever since (Z) mentioned that he was not partial to that composer’s music and found it “too heavy”. Over the next few weeks their mailbag had several letters form outraged Wagnerites defending the Sorcerer of Bayreuth … Continue reading It Ain’t Too Heavy
The Grail Made Me Do It
Act III of Lohengrin begins with Elsa and her mysterious protector’s wedding night. The King and chorus lead them into the wedding chamber, and when they are finally alone, the two of them launch into a love duet. But soon the knight utters Elsa’s name and she laments that she can’t return the favor. He warns … Continue reading The Grail Made Me Do It
The Forbidden Question
Although Lohengrin can be seen to deal with some weighty philosophical issues, in its simplest form it can be viewed as a fairy tale. Wagner drew upon history and both pagan and Christian mythology in devising his libretto, and there is one historical personage depicted, King Heinrich (Henry the Fowler), who has come to Brabant … Continue reading The Forbidden Question
Prelude
I became a Wagnerite in 1971, and a Perfect Wagnerite the following year. For several reasons I didn’t get to know his opera Lohengrin very well, though I did go to see a great performance of it at the Met in the late 70s. I’m rectifying that omission now, and of course there’s a wealth of … Continue reading Prelude