The Music of Richard Wagner

By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Greenberg

Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

In these 24 lectures filled with musical excerpts, enjoy a rich and multifaceted exploration of the trailblazing works and outsized life of this historically pivotal composer.

Your immersion in Wagner's art includes the following:

• The Flying Dutchman (which illustrates several of Wagner's key compositional innovations)
• Tannhäuser (the saga of a medieval knight torn between two worlds)
• Tristan and Isolde (Wagner's crowning masterpiece)
• And, of course, The Ring of the Nibelung (arguably the single most ambitious theater work ever created)

The sheer outlandishness of Wagner's life makes for an endlessly intriguing story, from his desperate escapades outrunning creditors to his obsessive personal relationships to his utopian artistic schemes. In his writings, letters, and public actions, you investigate the often contradictory - and hypocritical - aspects of his personality. And, reflecting on the nationalist spirit of his time, you track his core desire to make "German Art in the service of a German national identity," even as he created a body of works whose communicative power transcends any national boundary.

With Professor Greenberg's passionate and razor-sharp commentary, you'll plumb the fabulous mystery of a man who gave the world something of deeply compelling and universal resonance: music of great genius and a poetry that reveals the depths of the human psyche.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2010 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2010 The Great Courses

A Well-Written book about Richard Wagner

Prof. Greenberg has outdone himself in this book about the operas of a Richard Wagner. Of course, I am biased because I am a Wagner aficionado and enjoy his music immensely. But Prof. Greenberg takes a unique approach to describing several of Wagner's opera. His use of contemporary idioms and examples truly helps one to ultimately grasp the meaning of what Prof. Greenberg is emphasizing.
I would highly recommend this book to those who are as excited about Wagner's operas as I am. Listen to this book and you will have a great understanding of the music, the operas, and the composer.

Fabulous and humorous!

Fascinating and very helpful, thoroughly enjoyable. Excellent balanced account of the rather unpleasant (to put it mildly) Wagner the person vs his glorious, innovative, brilliant music. Highly recommended, but not for the Wagner fanatic

Tour de Force!!!

Thank you, Professor Greenberg, for an incredibly edifying, wholly enjoyable, insightful and entertaining overview of Wagner’s work. The historical, political, artistic and personal dimensions with which you put the person and his work in context, make these lectures truly the time investment. I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in understanding the world we live in today, through the Wagnerian prism which, with all of its terrible influences, also manifests the sublimeness of music.

greenberg is great

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

makes the music relevant and gives it its proper position in history

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Music of Richard Wagner?

his personal problems

What does Professor Robert Greenberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

the emotion of the librettos

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

always wondered about the story lines of the Ring and Parsifal-now I understand

Excellent

I truly enjoyed this series of lectures on Wagner. It focuses on analyzing Wagner's works in the context of his life, which was illuminating but sometimes dismaying. I'm not sure I'll ever listen to Parsifal (which I love) the same again. A note on the jokes: I REALLY liked them. Wagner and his followers can be incredibly pretentious, which is a big off put for many. The professor nicely lets the air out of some of the least conscionable pretensions, while still giving credit where credit is due for the music. I laughed out loud multiple times. Ultimately, Wagner's works are flawed (the length, the endless narration, Siegried) and acknowledging those flaws helped achieve clarity for his real merits (the music, at least some of the time).

Wry Good

Maybe too little on the music and a tad too much on Wagner and politics. But very well done.

I Enjoyed the Subject and Presentation

My first foray into Wagner. I've listened to a lot of Greenberg already, and I can count on his enthusiasm.

Transformative

Any additional comments?

If you put aside his politics and prejudices, Wagner's music is some of the most moving in the repertoire.

Engaging and interesting storytelling!

Where does The Music of Richard Wagner rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was really a great listen! Richard Wagner is a super interesting character that everyone should learn about.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Music of Richard Wagner?

When I realised that the opera "Der Ring Des Nibellung" has similar themes to the "the Lord of the Rings" novel by JRR Tolkien. I didn't know that such stories existed in German mythology. It was a revelation!

What does Professor Robert Greenberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Robert Greenberg brings energy, enthusiasm, knowledge, humour and wit. It was a pleasure to listen to!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Mostly laugh!

Outstanding course of lectures

I once read a review of a course by Professor Greenberg indicating that he could make reading a grocery list interesting. This is especially true in the video version but is also true here in the purely audio version. Dr. Greenberg fully appreciates Wagner but does not shy away from finding fault in him. For example, Dr. Greenberg is highly critical of Parsifal, finding the opera to be an embodiment of racial views of Wagner, who was an antisemite and German nationalist. Wagner was a genuis composer but a bad person (he also had some sort of compulsive spending disorder). Each of Wagner's major operas is discussed, always with musical excerpts, the sound quality of which is variable because they are old and live recordings. This is one of my all time favourite courses by The Great Courses.