As one of the rare opera composers who wrote their own libretti, Wagner controlled what an audience heard, not only in his music, but also in the sound of his text. As a complete man of the theater, Wagner controlled (at least whenever he could) the lighting, set design, and costumes that an audience saw on the stage. The result was that a number of images-including sleep, dreams, storms, the potion, the significant glance, and the journey-reappear throughout Wagner's mature works and are crucial to an appreciation of his artistry. This book, which began as a series of lectures the author gave on behalf of the Wagner Society of New York at the International Wagner Festival in New York, approaches Wagner's evolving thoughts on life and art through his use of several specific images. Each of the ten music dramas included in Wagner's "Bayreuth corpus" is discussed in detail, along with plenty of fresh insights for even the most seasoned admirer of the composer's work.
