Happy birthday Richard Wagner

[Guest]

Well , 200 up, and still going strong, no matter what rubbish or worse is heaped onto his name (the recent KZ Tannhäuser in Düsseldorf is one),
his music just keeps going no matter what tripe today's "concept producers and their stage designers" come up with.
In Düsseldorf because of the above mentioned problem,this new production is being continued as a concert performance without staging and because of the
quality of performance and playing it is getting good reviews.
Well, they can't destroy the music, no matter what is thrown-up onto the stage.
God help us with the new Ring at Bayreuth this year.

Many happy returns
slarty

[Mr Pee]

Happy Wagner Bi-Centenary day everybody!

So here we are at what would have been Richard Wagner's 200th birthday.

I still remember the seismic effect that my discovery of his music had on me at the tender age of 15 or thereabouts. I had heard orchestral excerpts from The Ring, which drew me in to start off with, but it was the Furtwangler recording of Tristan that really did it for me. A pair of headphones, a copy of the libretto, and I was transported to another world from the opening few bars of the prelude. A fascination with the man and his music has been a part of my life ever since then.

From there, more recordings, books*, live performances when funds and time allowed- the 1970's Covent Garden Ring was an experience I shall never forget- and now a gradual accumulation of the music dramas on Blu-Ray. I hope to get to Bayreuth one day; although their recent productions have not filled me with exceitement, I would love to tour the Festspielhaus and Wahnfried, even if I am unable to get my hands on an actual ticket!

I've recently brought Robert Lepage's Met ring on Blu-Ray, a cycle that has impressed me very much, and just have Gotterdammerung left to watch. I may settle down with it later in honour of the occasion. And of course there's the Wagner concert live on Radio 3 this evening.

*(Mentioning books, has anybody managed to have a look at Barry Millington's latest, "The Sorcerer of Bayreuth"? It's sitting in my Amazon shopping basket and I can't decide whether to take the plunge now or wait for a bit when it will probably drop in price.)

[Mr Pee]

Well , 200 up, and still going strong, no matter what rubbish or worse is heaped onto his name (the recent KZ Tannhäuser in Düsseldorf is one),
his music just keeps going no matter what tripe today's "concept producers and their stage designers" come up with.
In Düsseldorf because of the above mentioned problem,this new production is being continued as a concert performance without staging and because of the
quality of performance and playing it is getting good reviews.
Well, they can't destroy the music, no matter what is thrown-up onto the stage.
God help us with the new Ring at Bayreuth this year.

Many happy returns
slarty

Many Happy Returns indeed, and I agree with your comments!! Pretty much every new Bayreuth production seems to be a cause for worry at the moment!

(I have started another thread on the same subject- perhaps a merger might be in order??)

[ahinton]

So here we are at what would have been Richard Wagner's 200th birthday.

I still remember the seismic effect that my discovery of his music had on me at the tender age of 15 or thereabouts. I had heard orchestral excerpts from The Ring, which drew me in to start off with, but it was the Furtwangler recording of Tristan that really did it for me. A pair of headphones, a copy of the libretto, and I was transported to another world from the opening few bars of the prelude. A fascination with the man and his music has been a part of my life ever since then.

From there, more recordings, books*, live performances when funds and time allowed- the 1972 Covent Garden Ring was an experience I shall never forget- and now a gradual accumulation of the music dramas on Blu-Ray. I hope to get to Bayreuth one day; although their recent productions have not filled me with exceitement, I would love to tour the Festspeilhaus and Wahnfried, even if I am unable to get my hands on an actual ticket!

I've recently brought Robert Lepage's Met ring on Blu-Ray, a cycle that has impressed me very much, and just have Gotterdammerung left to watch. I may settle down with it later in honour of the occasion. And of course there's the Wagner concert live on Radio 3 this evening.

*(Mentioning books, has anybody managed to have a look at Barry Millington's latest, "The Sorcerer of Bayreuth"? It's sitting in my Amazon shopping basket and I can't decide whether to take the plunge now or wait for a bit when it will probably drop in price.)

Many of the above sentiments well echoed here. My starting point was the Solti Ring at ROH in 1966(?) - as fresh in my mind today as it was immediately afterwards (apart from uncertainty as to the year!)...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ................... when is it all over?

[Boilk]

So here we are at what would have been Richard Wagner's 200th birthday.

Well, ain't it a shame he passed away so prematurely and didn't make it to this auspicious birthday.

[ahinton]

Well, ain't it a shame he passed away so prematurely and didn't make it to this auspicious birthday.

It's certainly more than a mere shame that he didn't even make it to threescore years and ten, especially as, post-Parsifal, he is said to have been contemplating symphonic writing for the concert hall...

[ahinton]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ................... when is it all over?

The birthday itself will be over tomorrow, obviously, but somehow I suspect that this is not quite what you meant...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

no i meant

[Nick Armstrong]

I must say R3 has successfully sated and put me off Wagner, at least temporarily. It might be ok if it was just this week (only 2 days to go, after all ) but then I remember the Proms and my heart sinks.

[Serial_Apologist]

I have to admit I like some Wagner... but in small doses (e.g. Siegfried's Idyll, Wesendonklieder) for hearing what will be done more interestingly and succintly by successors (Mahler, Schoenberg). Hence I am quite enjoying this week's COTW. Which is to miss the point totally, I know; but one "brackets out" a lot of things one doesn't like about Wagner.

[gurnemanz]

This plaque commemorating his place of birth can be found attached to what is now a very unprepossessing shopping mall in Leipzig. Under the East Germans it was a state-owned supermarket which looked like a giant sardine tin. The number 13 figures prominently - which is also the sum of the digits of his birth year and, needless to say, the number of operas he composed.

[vinteuil]

I am, of course, wearing pink silk underwear in his honour...

https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/mar/01/germany.classicalmusic

[slarty]

To all of you who have seen fit to post negative comments on Richard Wagner's birthday, I will repeat what I used to say to the Mary Whitehouse brigade when complaining about the content of specific programmes. You have every right to switch it off or re-tune to another channel, however we will continue to enjoy the day and the year, including the Proms.
slarty

[Serial_Apologist]

To all of you who have seen fit to post negative comments on Richard Wagner's birthday, I will repeat what I used to say to the Mary Whitehouse brigade when complaining about the content of specific programmes. You have every right to switch it off or re-tune to another channel, however we will continue to enjoy the day and the year, including the Proms.
slarty

All???

Only two of us, actually - well, one and a half.