Tristan and Isolde (1857-59) is perhaps the most representative example of Wagner's musical style, which is characterized by a high degree of chromaticism, a restless, searching tonal instability, lush harmonies, and the association of specific musical elements (known as leitmotifs, the flexible manipulation of which is one of the glories of Wagner's music) with certain characters and plot points. His monumental Ring cycle of four operas - Das Rheingold (1853-54), Die Walküre (1854-56), Siegfried (1856-71) and Götterdämmerung (1869-74) - remains the most ambitious and influential contribution by any composer to the opera literature. Beginning with Rienzi (1838-40) and The Flying Dutchman (1841), however, he enjoyed a string of successes that propelled him to immortality and changed the face of music. Early in his career, Wagner learned both the elements and the practical, political realities of his craft by writing a handful of operas which were unenthusiastically, even angrily, received. Indeed, though Wagner occasionally produced successful music written on a relatively modest scale, opera - the bigger, the better - was clearly his milieu, and his aesthetic is perhaps the most grandiose that Western music has ever known. Richard Wagner was one of the most revolutionary figures in the history of music, a composer who made pivotal contributions to the development of harmony and musical drama that reverberate even today. Among his major works are The Flying Dutchman (1843), Tannhäuser (1845), Lohengrin (1850), Tristan und Isolde (1865), Parsifal (1882), and his great tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung (1869–76). Richard Wagner, in full Wilhelm Richard Wagner (born May 22, 1813, Leipzig -died February 13, 1883, Venice, Italy), German dramatic composer and theorist whose operas and music had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music, either by extension of his discoveries or reaction against them. Wagner: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, WWV 21 Wagner: Beethoven's Symphony No.9 ('Choral'), WWV 9 Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, WWV 96 Wagner: 5 Gedichte für eine Frauenstimme, WWV 91 Listen to the best of Wagner on Apple Music and Spotify and scroll down to discover our selection of the best Wagner works.Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86 Discover our selection of the best Wagner works featuring 10 masterpieces including The Ring Cycle. But his works are also filled with imaginatively crafted moments of delectable beauty. His music has the ability to sweep the listener along in an endless stream of expressively orchestrated sound. Hearing them outside their operatic context reveals just how powerful Wagner’s musical gift was. Each of his operas contains orchestral passages – whether overtures, preludes, or other excerpts – that have found a place in the concert hall repertoire. Through mythological settings he was able to create powerful allegories exploring issues with universal resonance, such as love, power, heroism and duty. This allows the orchestra not only to illustrate the stage action, but also to ‘speak’ of motivations and consequences of which the characters remain unaware. One of Wagner’s innovations was to employ leitmotifs, brief musical themes associated with specific characters, objects or ideas, which are subtly woven into the greater musical fabric. A charismatic and often capricious figure, Wagner was – and remains – one of the most controversial and influential composers in musical history. They have also spurred emulation and reaction among musicians, writers and many other artists. Each of his mature operas expresses deep insights into the nature of the human condition, influencing fields as diverse as philosophy, politics and psychiatry. Richard Wagner’s ( – 13 February 1883) radical works sent shock waves across nineteenth century Europe.
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