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Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22nd May 1813–13th February 1883) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his s (or “music dramas” as he later came to call them). His compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their contrapuntal texture, rich harmonies and orchestration, and elaborate use of leitmotifs: themes associated with specific characters, locales, or plot elements. Wagner’s chromatic musical language prefigured later developments in European classical music, including extreme chromaticism and atonality. He transformed musical thought through his idea of Gesamtkunstwerk (“total art-work”), epitomized by his monumental four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (1876). His concept of leitmotif and integrated musical expression was also a strong influence on many 20th century film scores.

Wagner was and remains a controversial figure, both for his musical and dramatic innovations, and for his anti-semitic and political opinions.
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  • miqmiranda wrote:
    Sunday evening
    Great composer,I gotta hear much more!!

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  • vicskatepunk wrote:
    Saturday afternoon
    @DOOM_SUICIDER: His operas are represented all over the world. Someone knows a magnific interpetration of 'Die Miestersinger von Nuremberg'?

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  • DOOM_SUICIDER wrote:
    Saturday morning
    On tour?...

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  • CamusGod wrote:
    last week
    I once listened to Wagner at full volume, and I put my face in front of the amplifier. It was glorius, I do tell you.

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  • priedits wrote:
    last week
    I love you!

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  • Tursidhion wrote:
    last week
    Best composer ever...

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  • half_android wrote:
    last month
    ArmisTM is a fan of Twilight

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  • vicskatepunk wrote:
    last month
    @streetvendros: And so?

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  • streetvendors wrote:
    last month
    The Nazi party was influenced by Wagner

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  • AnneChovie wrote:
    last month
    I love Wagner's music, by the way...

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  • AnneChovie wrote:
    last month
    Maybe the better term for what Wagner does for “metal” musicians would be “inspire” as opposed to “influence”. I am a musician of quite modest ability and yet I feel inspired by Bach and Eric Dolphy, although we have achieved almost immeasurably different levels of musical accomplishment. You can be inspired buy a sunset, a painting, a woman, or a plate of tortellini without being anything like one yourself.

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  • AramisTM wrote:
    last month
    The latter. Mostly because of Dernesch, Vickers (for me) is very good, but not amazing. I've never heard finale or both love duets performed with such perfection from both orchestra and the singers.

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  • takeskog wrote:
    last month
    Which one do you mean, Aramis? The live recording from Bayreuth with Mödl and Vinay, or the studio recording with Dernesch and Vickers?

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  • AramisTM wrote:
    last month
    Since there was no other before, I've creater grup dedicated to von Karajan - http://www.lastfm.pl/group/Herbert+von+Karajan Join us (me, so far) or die. We got the deathstar (and you know that we have it). I'm advertising it here because Karajan made best recordings of Tristan und Isolde (and other operas, but this recording is just perfect and the only one). If you disagree you're a nibelung.

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  • perl_monkey wrote:
    last month
    Sorry to intrude. There is a very interesting interview in the German newspaper zeit: http://www.zeit.de/kultur/musik/2010-01/steffen-moeller-vita-classica which mentions the lack of pathos in modern day pop music but sees it in classical music as well as in Heavy Metal. Said Pathos is probably a connecting string. If you don't know any German, maybe Google can help: http://tinyurl.com/ye6zn7h

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  • AramisTM wrote:
    last month
    Your ad-hominem arguments clearly show that you lack musical ones. "structural bullshit aside" - what the hell it means? When you say that someone was influenced by other musician/composer the only way to really prove it is showing the theoretical and structural similarity. All you're talking about here is goal about what to express in music. It doesn't mean much, because if you would like, you, and any other person, could find such connection between any composer and any genre of popular music. If you would listen to some female pop singer you could say that she's influenced by Wagner because she sings about values and meaning of love, which Wagner also shown in his operas. And afer all, I have nothing against metal itself - you call me elitist, but the truth is that I dislike connecting metal and Wagner because this is the real, snobbish elitism. Accept metal as a nice modern popular music genre that simply isn't as rich and beautiful as Wagner and other classics.

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  • Narwhalbombs wrote:
    last month
    I don't even know why I'm arguing with someone who's such an elitist gobshite that he's actually wearing a fucking puffy colonial dress shirt with a long black coat in his picture... Looking off into the distance like he's imagining some compositional brilliance like all great composers look when they put the ten second timer on their mom's Nikon coolpix... you look like Dracula for god's sake... You try to hard

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  • Narwhalbombs wrote:
    last month
    My way of thinking? what that music is art? yeah, how did I ever get that Idea into my plebeian cro-magnon skull? Fine, I will narrow it down even further... Thematic, and structural bullshit aside. His music was theatrical, dissonant, and aggressive... Think of the scale of the orchestras he used compared to his predecessors, think of how dark the imagery, how intense the buildups nad the throwing away of the conventions of dissonance preperateon. How aggressive is the alliterative use of harsh german consonants? As far as it's influence on metal: as I said, they like the dark imagery, they like the humongous sound, they like the piling and piling of tension.... They like the sound, they like the feeling, just because they don't know the in and outs doesn't mean that a musician can't put his own spin on what he's hearing... And you can be sure the National Socialist Black Metal bands had some interest in him....

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  • AramisTM wrote:
    last month
    What a dude. Yes, great point, may I also add that according to your way of thinking The Pussycat Dolls are related to Wagner very close as well? Isn't the first scene of Das Rheingold similiar to their "Buttons"? Alberich is just like a Snop Dogg and Rhine maidens tempt him just like TPD in the famous music video. Yes, definitively, metal and sluttish pop are both inspired by Wagner.

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  • Narwhalbombs wrote:
    last month
    The metal heads may be a tad misinformed, but the classical snobs in here are the ones with their heads up their asses.... Reminds me why I feel dirty for being a classically trained musician... Whether a person understands is use of Leitmotifs in conveying character, or his unique use of the orchestra in conveying setting and mood has nothing to do with whether or not the listener ENJOYS THE SOUND IT PRODUCES.... You'd have to be deaf to say that the sudden Allegro section in the Rienzi overture isn't passionate, bold, aggressive, and goddamn near ear-splitting- isn't that what metal is all about? Y'know... emotions? the reason we play music? Further proof that you needn't look farther than the nearest conservatory to find the most tunnel-visioned rabble of asshats this side of New Jersey...

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