Verdi and/or Wagner : two men, two worlds, two centuries / Peter Conrad.
| Author/creator | Conrad, Peter, 1948- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Thames & Hudson, ©2011. |
| Description | 384 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | 1. Counterparts: Stand-off in a garden ; Stereophony -- 2. National characters: North and south ; Old Germany, young Italy ; Conquerors ; 'Oh, you nineteenth century!' -- 3. Maestro, meister, muses: Lessons of the masters ; Getting and spending ; Magi ; Two women and womankind ; At home -- 4. Duets or dualities: Genesis in music ; 'That song conquers me' ; Lovers and heroes ; A new religion -- 5. A death and a regeneration: The man of the evening ; An evergreen -- 6. Their second century: Ups and downs ; On the march ; After the war, before the revolution ; Notes on the redefinition of culture ; Acts of remembrance |
| Abstract | This is an exploration of the lives and works of Verdi and Wagner as well as their respective legacies to the present day, written by a noted cultural critic. Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, the two greatest operatic composers of their time, had everything and nothing in common. Their achievements were comparable, but their personalities, their approaches to music and drama, and their complex legacies made them incompatible. Verdi thought of art as a comfort to mankind; it pleased Wagner to believe that the nervous intensity of his operas might drive listeners mad. Is it impossible as the author asks in this book--the first to investigate their affinities and explain their mutual mistrust--to love them both? These equally matched Titans offer us a choice between two kinds of art, two ways of life, two opposed philosophies of existence. During their lifetimes Verdi and Wagner helped to define the identity of their emerging nations; their music still dramatizes the light and dark sides of every human beings character and consciousness. |
| Abstract | Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, the two greatest operatic composers of their time, had everything and nothing in common. Their achievements were comparable, but their personalities, their approaches to music and drama, and their complex legacies made them incompatible. Verdi thought of art as a comfort to mankind; it pleased Wagner to believe that the nervous intensity of his operas might drive listeners mad. Is it impossible--as the author asks in this book, the first to investigate their affinities and explain their mutual distrust--to love them both? They were born in the same year, 1813, but at opposite ends of Europe. Verdi the melodist gave voice to the passion and sensuality of Italy; Wagner the harmonist articulated the more metaphysical dream-life of Germany. They were both cultural heroes, but of different kinds--a native son attached to the soil versus an exiled revolutionary; a spokesman for afflicted humanity versus a creator of gods, giants, dragons, dwarfs and fairies. Nationalism turned them into bards for their newly unified countries. Italians still honour Verdi as a godfather, and have unofficially adopted one of his choruses as a national anthem; for Germans, Wagner remains a more troubling ancestor, nowadays often accused of preparing the way for the Third Reich. The two men stalked each other through the nineteenth century, managing never to meet. The rivalry continued after their deaths, as modernists like Stravinsky mocked Wagner's romantic angst and rehabilitated the cheerier, more sociable Verdi. Wagner supplied the background music for despotism during the 1930s, while Verdi appealed to the liberal opponents of fascism. Almost two centuries after their births, they remain at odds. These equally matched Titans offer us a choice between two kinds of art, two ways of life, two opposed philosophies of existence. During their lifetimes Verdi and Wagner helped to define the identity of their emerging nations; their music still dramatizes the light and dark sides of every human being's character and consciousness. |
| General note | Includes index. |
| ISBN | 9780500515938 |
| ISBN | 050051593X |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.V4 C66 2011 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |