Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | N | Notes

Wagner and the Romantic Hero.

Article Excerpt
Wagner and the Romantic Hero. By Simon Willliams. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. [x, 193 p. ISBN 0-521-82008. $70.] Bibliography, index.

In this short book on heroes in Richard Wagner's operas, Simon Williams addresses a substantial subject. The bulk of his study (pp. 37-141) concentrates on a few central male characters who tend to dominate the ten canonic music dramas, beginning with Der fliegende Hollander. The path such a figure traverses through the action, the connections he makes with his social surroundings, and his success in achieving his goals are recurring points of inquiry. By probing the hero's response to daunting challenges, the themes and structure of the whole work are brought into focus.

A literary-critical approach prevails, yet at the same time certain tangential matters enter in; relevant biographical information appears along with glimpses of the contemporary cultural, philosophical, theatrical, and operatic environment. Two pleasing traits strengthen Williams's discourse. He turns to writers, reaching from Nietzsche to scholars of today, who provide apt references and quotations that enrich his prose, as do the thoughts and words of the composer...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!