Richard Wagner

The Profile

Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was a German composer, theatre director, and conductor of the Romantic era, renowned for his operas and music dramas, extensive use of leitmotifs, and the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk. He established the Bayreuth Festival to present his works.

German composer (1813–1883); pioneer of the leitmotif and Gesamtkunstwerk; founded the Bayreuth Festival; author of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and other major operas.

Three reviews chart Wagner from apocalyptic Ring climaxes to Tristan’s chromatic vertigo and the comic fizz of Das Liebesverbot. The writers mix humor with close reading of leitmotifs, orchestration, and staging challenges. There’s praise for classic recordings and sharp notes on Bayreuth’s canon choices. Overall mood: admiring, curious, and playfully iconoclastic.