Today we celebrate the 205th birth anniversary of the great German composer, conductor and musical critic Richard Wagner.

It was Richard Wagner, who carried out the opera reform, completely reconsidering this genre vision in his creative work. He criticized the current opera system, opposing it the unique conception of high music art. Thanks to Wagner’s innovative approach, music turned into “the endless melody" in his opuses.

Wagner's work was syncretic. His main idea was to synthesize the arts in opera. Dramaturgy, music and scenography - all art directions merged in the works of Richard Wagner in a single action. The composer himself wrote the libretto. He was the first person, who turned his back on the listeners in the process of conducting for the better creative contact with the orchestra (until that moment the conductors were facing the audience), expanded the orchestra's line-up and made it sound majestic and monumental. He personally handled each facet of the musical creation, turning it into a unique treasure.

More details about the composer's work are in our sections “Authors” and “Reviews”.

Moreover, to commemorate the composer’s anniversary, we prepared the musical selection comprised of the fragments of his creations recorded on paper music rolls Welte-Mignon.

The link to our “Sound library”:

1. "Tannhäuser and the Minnesingers' at the Wartburg", 1845 – act 3, "Tannhäuser Pilgrimage", Pilgrims' Chorus. Played by Emil Paur.
2. "The Master Singers of Nuremberg", 1862 - Am stillen Herd zur Winterszeit, Walther's song, act 1. Played by Felix Mottl.
3. "Valkyrie", 1856. Wotan's farewell and Magic fire scene. The opera final. Played by Cornelius Rybner.