Chapter 10 - The Wagnerian revolution

Summary

Wagner changed opera in terms of its musical form and overall content, as well as how it was perceived – its aesthetic and social function. He was in a position to effect this because of his unique combination of musical, technical, dramatic and philosophical concerns which were expressed in

• opera;

• innovative involvement in all aspectsd of production and direction;

• theoretical writings.

He was, of course, influence by previous composers and thinkers, but what made him so influential was the force with which one person so successfully drew it all together. This turned Wagner into a kind of nineteenth-century hero, struggling to save and redirect art – as he portrayed himself, in figures such as Tannhäuser and Walther von Stolzing. The sheer range of interests in itself created a new ethos for evaluating a form that had become increasingly socialite, redefining it as a serious dramatic art, aimed at engaging the audience in moral, political and aesthetic ideas.