Bayreuth: History of the Wagner Festival

click here for more details, find new or used items	F Spotts New from £39.65 Used from £14.13 Pages: 344 (Hardcover) ISBN: 0300057776 Pub: Yale University Press Pub date: 1994-04-05 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 775063

Reader Reviews:

Superb (1/1 people found this helpful)

Simply a must-have for any Wagner fan. Lots of photos of previous Bayreuth productions, fascinating details, very well written. A one-of-a-kind book.

This book has it all ... and some. (3/3 people found this helpful)

I will never forget the excitement of seeing this book on the shelf. Admittedly, the heavy emphasis on outstanding photography made me hesitant. But, having been to the Festival a couple of times (and having cut through many a book related to Wagner), I had to go with it. I was not disappointed. Indeed, I would be hard pressed to suggest a better written book on the festival, its relationship to Nazi Germany, the conflict of schools of interpretation, Wagnerism, or ... Wagner! This book sails and you are sorry when the trip is over. It also provides a serious, well-organized discussion of the development of Wagner's music and the characters who desired the association of the Wagner household. The musician, performer, historian, critic, biographer, and disciple will all be entertained.

Fascinating, well-written and highly readable! (3/3 people found this helpful)

This book isn't just for Wagner buffs, or opera-goers generally. Fascinating for the way it weaves the history of the festival and the Wagner family into the overall context of German history in the 19th and 20th centuries, it should be enjoyed by a much wider audience. The growth of virulent nationalism, and the birth of National Socialism and all the evil that followed were intimately intertwined with the evolution of Bayreuth, and they are part of this highly interesting story.

At no point is this book dull or didactic. The story of the relationships between members of Wagner's family are engaging. The many photographs of the various productions, as well of members of the family and notables from the world of music, are well-chosen. The description of the intrigues and genius behind the design of the Festspielhall and the design of the operas make this a book for all who are interested in the theatre. A highly enjoyable work.

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