Page 185 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

ROMANTIC 1810–1920 183

See also: The Magic Flute 134–137 ■ The Barber of Seville 148 ■ Der Freischütz 149 ■ La traviata 174–175 ■ Tosca 194–197 ■
The Wreckers 232–239 ■ Peter Grimes 288–293

(“The fairies,” 1834) delved deep Wagner founded at Bayreuth. They
into Romanticism, while his second, show the composer increasingly
Das Liebesverbot (“The ban on love,” breaking down the traditional
1836), loosely based on Shakespeare’s structures of opera—blurring the
Measure for Measure, was closer to lines between individual arias,
Italian comic opera. duets, and choruses, and focusing With one bound I became
A largely unsuccessful period in on the psychological development a revolutionist, and acquired
Paris in the late 1830s exposed the of characters of unprecedented the conviction that every
young composer to the bel canto of complexity. The operas addressed decently active being ought
Vincenzo Bellini (whom he much subjects that would concern him to occupy himself with
admired) as well as to grand opéra, for the rest of his creative life: politics exclusively.
a local genre whose extravagant redemption, the nature of desire, Richard Wagner
scenic features would broaden his and, in Tannhäuser, how religion
theatrical horizons. The German- can and should temper this desire.
born composer Giacomo Meyerbeer
was among the most successful Theory and practice
exponents of this type of operatic Wagner’s involvement in the
spectacle. Wagner’s next work, uprising in Dresden in 1849—part
Rienzi (1840), was modeled closely of a series of republican revolts came up with the idea of the
on Meyerbeer’s style and proved to that swept through Germany Gesamtkunstwerk (literally
be his first breakthrough, leading and other parts of Europe—led “complete art work”), which would
to Wagner’s appointment as to a warrant being issued for his combine all the elements of stage
Kapellmeister (director of music) arrest, forcing him into exile in performance in one. His new works
at the Dresden Court Theatre. Switzerland. During the first five would amalgamate the genius of
Wagner’s subsequent works in years in exile, he did not compose a Beethoven and Shakespeare and
the 1840s, Der fliegende Holländer single note of music, concentrating be modeled on ancient Greek
(The Flying Dutchman), Tannhäuser, instead on setting out the drama, which, as far as Wagner
and Lohengrin, are the earliest foundations for his operatic reforms understood it, not only combined
operas included in the canon of in a series of long essays. It was all the arts but did so in a way
works performed at the festival that during this period that Wagner that was essential for uniting a ❯❯

Richard Wagner Wagner was born in Leipzig most ambitiously in The Ring. In
in 1813 and was drawn to the the 1860s, his fortunes improved
theatre at an early age, also thanks to the financial aid of
developing an obsession with King Ludwig II of Bavaria, which
music—particularly Beethoven. gave him new artistic freedom.
His early years were dominated Wagner died in Venice in 1883,
by instability, exacerbated by his the year after Parsifal premiered
irresponsible attitude toward in Bayreuth.
money. His operas began to see
success in the 1840s, and a job as Other key works
Kapellmeister in Dresden followed,
but both were jeopardized by his 1841 The Flying Dutchman
political activism. 1848 Lohengrin
Forced into exile in Switzerland 1859 Tristan und Isolde
in the 1850s, he set about a 1867 Die Meistersinger
wholesale reform of opera: first in von Nürnberg
theoretical essays, then in practice, 1882 Parsifal

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