Richard
Wagner: The Man, the genius, the musician, the writer, the thinker, the busybody, the histrionic medium ultimately nineteenth century, lived passionately in every way, from 1813 to 1883. He was the "total artist" for many, for others embodied the new Socrates corrupting the youth of Germany.
contradictory character of all, his great musical instincts contrasted with the prose of a reactionary ideologue, anti-Semitic, racist and Nazi, that he even influence the mind of Adolf Hitler, a great admirer of his music. 
was intensely loved and hated, followed and criticized and recognized during his lifetime as the "high priest of the religious art," as he himself said (it was at all times fully aware of his genius and worth). Acclaimed conductor, composer, lyricist, arranger, operas, newspaper columnist, activist and political exile, was among his detractors to character height Nietzsche, among his followers by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (which later said he was gay and was in love with the composer).
led a troubled and unstable life except in his later years, both professionally and personally. His egocentric character, whimsical and sometimes cocky earned him many enemies and quarrels, and personally ... tendency to be a womanizer in his first marriage became a torture to the death of his wife, Minna Planer (whose relationship was fraught with infidelities by both parties, separations and reconciliations). This was Minna, who struggled with her husband's unspeakable.
The widowed married Cosima, illegitimate daughter of the great pianist and composer Franz Liszt (who was then married to the conductor Hans von Bülow, big fan of Wagnerian music and that it was therefore doubly betrayed: by his wife and his favorite composer), with whom relations had been some time. Next to it and their children began to stabilize and lead a quieter life and more dedicated exclusively to composition.
died in Venice, "city that adored and which was passing on a journey that would not return, and was buried in Bayreuth, in the garden of his home in recent years, this city \u200b\u200bwas the scene where he developed most of his career and even had its own Opera House, where he premiered his works. The theater was built under the supervision of own Wagner, and currently hosts the Bayreuth Festival, which takes place every year in summer and is dedicated to the representation of Wagner's operas. This is Wahnfried, his mansion in Bayreuth, in the back of this garden is buried under the shade of a linden.
Wagner composed operas not only, but for this genre for which he is most renowned and rightly so, unlike other operatic composers, he wrote the scripts in which then would be based music, and even designed the scenery of the whole, is what he called "total art." Works like the monumental tetralogy "Der Ring des Nibelungen," "Tannhäuser," "Die Meistersinger of Nuremberg", "Parsifal" and especially "Tristan und Isolde" are milestones in the history of this genre. This is the final manuscript of "Tristan" with his signature.
is not the place to talk about the harmony used by Wagner in his music, but just say that was then and evolution of the left by Chopin and Liszt, and with regard to the layout of form, replaced in his works and developments classical variations used until then by the "infinite melody" or evolution of music in terms of psychological development or expression of the work.
Today I brought the well known "Death of Isolde's love, which is a short instrumental, no singing, the end of the opera (... more or less). This work is undoubtedly the most representative of all that he composed, and was much admired even by his detractors.
was unveiled in 1865, and is considered his most progressive and pioneering theories of atonal music of the twentieth century. The argument is based on an ancient European legend, the Legend of Tristan and Isolde ", which Wagner adapted to his script, while retaining the essence of myth: the hero, noble and brave, the beautiful and wicked princess who succumb to love a destructive war between two peoples as a stage background, the tragic death of him and the supreme sacrifice of her died with her lover, etc etc.
In the snippet of music today summarizes the overwhelming passion that permeates the entire opera, as expressed by the orchestra alone, it represents the very moment she dies beside the body of Tristan, to join him in eternity.
seems that this music was in part inspired by the platonic love that was between Wagner and the wife of one of its sponsors, Mathilde Wessendonk, during his first marriage, Wagner fell in love with this woman and maintained a very close friendship through letters, ended with Wagner's wife Minna intercepted one of the letters and I know how the husband, of course. This is a portrait of Mathilde, was beautiful, girl ...
In this work there are several transcriptions for piano solo, very difficult to play. The most famous is what Liszt himself (father of Wagner) wrote. I prefer the orchestral version ... and I must admit that I bring is probably not the best but I like it because it is the International Festival of Music and Dance in Granada, and the venue is the Palacio de Carlos V, within the precincts of the Alhambra.
It is celebrated every year from late June to mid July, and has something special, maybe it's the place, incredible, or summer evenings, or the music itself, or all at time ... but every year we attend more concerts are excited.
The orchestra is the West Eastern Divan Orchestra and the director, Daniel Barenboim.
In a few weeks are put on sale tickets for this year (the 60 )...¡ ... I can not wait!
(Remember the video volume up, it comes softly and do not hear well.)
