Dive into the bold, controversial life of a man who changed the sound—and stage—of music forever. Known for massive operas and an even bigger personality, Wagner lived as theatrically as the dramas he composed.
Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner wrote both the music and librettos for all of his operas—an unusual feat even among great composers.
His four-opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung takes around 15 hours to perform in full.
He once fled multiple countries to avoid arrest for political revolution and unpaid debts.
Wagner helped design the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, a theater built specifically to stage his own operas.
He pioneered the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or “total work of art,” blending music, poetry, and visuals into one unified performance.
His music was so emotionally intense that early performances were said to cause fainting, tears, and even nausea.
Wagner was exiled from Germany for over a decade after participating in a failed revolution in Dresden.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria became Wagner’s unlikely patron, funding his massive productions and rescuing him from poverty.
He was often embroiled in scandal, including a notorious affair with Cosima Liszt—Franz Liszt’s daughter and the wife of another conductor.
Wagner’s harmonies and dramatic structure paved the way for modern film scores and late-Romantic composers.
He named his dog “Peps” and claimed the pup had musical preferences and barked in certain keys.
Though a musical genius, Wagner’s writings also included deeply antisemitic views that remain highly controversial today.
Richard Wagner’s influence stretched beyond music—Nietzsche, Hitler, and Hollywood directors all responded to his work in different ways.
He died in Venice in 1883, and his funeral was as grand and operatic as his life.
Every year, Bayreuth still hosts a festival dedicated entirely to performing his works, often attended by world leaders and Wagnerites.
