There is a world of music, beautiful, thrilling, powerful and romantic music, that one composer wrote to express the theme of Redemption Through Love! He wrote this music for "sacred music dramas" he believed could transform the world through art. His stories come from legends and mythology and folk tales, and he meant them to resonate deep within the subconscious mind, long before modern psychology knew this could be done. And they do. Is this what you think of when you think of Wagnerian opera? Or do you think of heavy Germanic arias sung by heavy Germanic divas in horned helmets? Do you imagine yourself surrounded by pedantic Wagner cultists ready to look down their noses at you and test your worthiness to enter the temple, with stuffy conversations about the most arcane and obscure performances about which hoi polloi like you surely must be woefully ignorant? Dear music lover, this author believes you should associate with Wagner a world of beautiful, thrilling, powerful and romantic music that will thrill you, uplift you, caress you, transform you, and leave you in a state of sheer delight! Contrary to popular impression, access to the glory and wonder of Richard Wagner's art can be easy and inexpensive. If you do nothing more than pick up a couple of albums of overtures, preludes, and Ring Cycle highlights (with vocal lines transcribed for orchestra), you're in for a real treat. Wagner proposed art as a transfiguring rite of passage to a higher world. Approaching his art with an irreverent attitude can propel you confidently past any snooty operatic gatekeepers. And this book will summon that irreverent attitude from the depths of your music-loving soul. There is everything one could want in this book in terms of Wagner knowledge and deep insights into the deep themes underlying his music dramas. Presented irreverently.
