Wagner Facts for Beginners (sollte man mit Schulenglisch verstehen können)

1. Wagner's music is more melodic than you think

2. Wagner's best opera: The one you are (re-)discovering now, for the RING have a look here

3. The definitive recording (of one of Wagner's operas) : there is no definitive recording
- you have to listen to more versions of the same opera to find out, and going back in time

4. Barenboim's RING recording, Karajan MEISTERSINGER and Kleiber or Solti TRISTAN could be a good choice (but see point 3)

5. The Wagner opera to see first : Der fliegende Holländer and/or RHEINGOLD (also good for children, very modern versions by Fura dels Baus)

6. His most difficult operas to listen to if you are beginning: Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal (also very long with nearly no action)

7. Wagner's most (undeservedly) under-rated opera: Das Rheingold (but have a look at the Fura dels Baus version of the Rheingold)

8. There is no anti-semitism reflected in his operas (there is if you want to see it...)

9. It is not his fault that Hitler liked his music

10. Professional coughers in historic live recordings can drive you mad (very rare)

11. (new entry!!) There's no name on his simple grave/tomb: Wagner said: "the world should know who's burried here"
- doch noch etwas auf deutsch: Wagners Grab hinter der Villa in Bayreuth ist sehr unspektakulär für solch einen bedeutenden Künstler,
aber er hatte keinen Prunk/Aufsehen nach dem Tod nötig (nur im Leben): „Die Welt hat zu wissen, wer hier liegt“ R.W. (so sieht's aus)

( inspirated by: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/2906/facts.html#facts )

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