Wagner

A revolutionary biography of the master Experience Wagner through his greatest compositions on 2 audio CDs More than a century after Richard Wagner's death, the man and his music are as controversial as ever. His vast four-part operatic Ring cycle has been both elevated as one of the greatest achievements of western culture and dismissed as an unparalleled example of creative megalomania. Award-winning music writer Stephen Johnson tells the story of an extraordinary life, and charts Wagner's development from unpromising beginnings into the creator of some of the most brilliant and beautiful music ever composed. Woven throughout the book are links to carefully chosen selections on the accompanying two compact discs that bring to life the man and his music like never before. You'll also gain free access to an exclusive website from Naxos Records-the world's leading classical music label-that offers the musical works in full, the music of Wagner's contemporaries, a detailed timeline and more. Includes more than 21?2 hours of Wagner's greatest works, plus exclusive web access to much more. Stephen Johnson studied at the Northern School of Music, Manchester, under Alexander Goehr at Leeds University, then at Manchester University. Since then he has written regularly for The Independent and The Guardian, and was Chief Music Critic of The Scotsman (1998?99). He has also broadcast frequently for BBC Radio 3, 4 and World Service, including a series of 14 programs about the music of Bruckner for the centenary of the composer's death (1996). He is the author of Bruckner Remembered, a contributor to The Cambridge Companion to Conducting, and a regular presenter for Radio 3'sDiscovering Music. In 2003 Stephen was voted Amazon.com Classical Music Writer ofJohnson, Stephen is the author of 'Wagner ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781402210006 and ISBN 1402210000.