My Life with Wagner: Fairies, Rings, and Redemption: Exploring Opera's Most Enigmatic Composer - Tapa dura

Thielemann's revelations about the complexities of conducting are likely to enhance any music lover's listening experiences.

Viscerally exposes the levels of perfectionism required in a virtuoso. Without alienating the lay reader, he gets across the complexity of a Wagner score and the infinite interpretive possibilities.

An act of homage and a revealing autobiography. An informative guide to the Wagner oeuvre. Thielemann's enthusiasm breathes life into these operas.

A sometimes enigmatic and always entertaining memoir, which is also part music history. Drawing on his years of conducting, Thielemann characterizes the evocative beauty and power of each of Wagner's operas. Thielemann masterfully orchestrates this colorful introduction to Wagner's music and its themes.

Besides exploring Wagner's life and times, Thielemann provides useful commentary on each of the composer's operas. A compelling take on what it's like to stand at the podium, ready to set orchestra and singers in motion for a performance created by one of the world's greatest composers.

Over a distinguished career conducting some of the world's finest orchestras, Christian Thielemann has earned a reputation as the leading modern interpreter of Richard Wagner.My Life with Wagner chronicles his ardent personal and professional engagement with the great composer, whose work has shaped his thinking and feeling from early childhood. Thielemann retraces his journey around the world with Wagner—from Berlin to Bayreuth via Venice, Hamburg, and Chicago—and combines his analysis with revealing insights drawn from his many years of experience as a Wagner conductor.Thielemann discusses each of Wagner's operas in turn, and his appraisal is illuminated by a deep affinity for the music, an intimate knowledge of the scores, and the inside perspective of a world-class practitioner. And yet for all the adulation Wagner's art inspires, Thielemann does not shy away from unpalatable truths about the man himself, explaining why today Wagner is venerated and reviled in equal measure.My Life with Wagner is a richly rewarding read for admirers of a composer who continues to fascinate long after his death.