It takes a lot of work on the listener’s part to understand Wagner. I’ve been trying in vain for years, but I’ve recently made a kind of breakthrough. The catalyst was a few intense listening sessions with Tristan and Isolde. With its mythological setting, ambiguous themes, overwhelming length and dense musical chromaticism it’s not an […]

The best witticisms in musical criticism are invariably about Wagner. Here are some choice quotes: Wagner’s music is better than it sounds. Edgar Wilson Nye One can’t judge Wagner’s opera ‘Lohengrin’ after a first hearing, and I certainly don’t intend hearing it a second time. Gioacchino Antonio Rossini Mr. Wagner has beautiful moments but awful […]