When Richard Wagner died in 1883, a whole artistic empire and a kingdom (that of Bayreuth) threatened to collapse. Preserving an epoch like some hallowed relic within a mausoleum, surviving the passing of the composer… sometimes perhaps to keep it at a distance all the more… This section retraces the story of the Wagnerian adventure after the death of the composer up to today, from the most problematic appropriations to the most interesting contemporary productions.
Wagner elsewhere and otherwise
WAGNER ELSEWHERE AND OTHERWISE
The various artistic and musical projects relating to the art and life of Richard Wagner today. From literary analyses to salon or theatre re-readings , musical “paraphrases”, concerts of forgotten works by the composer of the Ring, unpublished pieces written by contemporary composers or actual shows, this section presents the projects – some most unusual – which as such stand as a form of continuation of the work of the “Master of Bayreuth”.
Richard Wagner's work legacy
– The art of Wagner on a quest to conquer Europe, then the world;
– The Orchestre Lamoureux and the work of Richard Wagner in France (Fr);
– The reception of Richard Wagner’s work in Belgium (Fr);
– The reception of The Ring in the United States and Russia (Fr);
Richard Wagner work influence through the arts
In Germany
Richard Strauss, Engelbert Humperdinck, …
In France
Ernest Chausson, Claude Debussy, Vincent D’Indy, …
And elsewhere, in Europe
In Russia, in Bohemia (Bedrich Smetana, Anton Dvorak), …
– Wagner and Thomas Mann;
– Wagner and Marcel Proust;
– The Twilight of the Gods, a novel by Elémir Bourges;
– Tolkien and Wagner, the two enchanters (Fr);
Richard Wagner facing history
RICHARD WAGNER, IDOL OF THE THIRD REICH… AGAINST HIS WILL – Richard Wagner’s and his work… dreamt by Adolf Hitler; RICHARD WAGNER, EMBARRASSING FIGURE OF HISTORY IN GERMANY – When there were two Wagners: the one in FRG and the one in GDR. WAGNER AND SOVIET RUSSIA – When the work and figure of Richard Wagner found a new meaning in Bolshevik Russia; WAGNER AND POLAND – The reception of Richard Wagner’s music and thought in Poland during the communist era. WAGNER AND ISRAEL – « Between fascination and censorship, when Art endures History ». |
The wagnerian community
– A short history of the Richard Wagner Circles around the world;
– A story of « The Wagnerian Review » (Fr) ;
– Wagnerism and anti-Wagnerism (Fr), Wagnerians against anti-Wagnerians;
– What does it mean to be « Wagnerian » today?