Richard Wagner: The flawed man who changed opera

Richard Wagner: The flawed man who changed opera

From Classical Breakdown by WETA Classical

March 31, 2026 · 1h 19m

About this episode

The episode explores Richard Wagner's tumultuous life and his significant impact on opera.

This composer's life was tumultuous and sometimes straight out of a soap opera. John Banther and Evan Keely explore what led him to opera, his initial success and failures, his bigoted "Judaism in Music" essay, and how his Ring Cycle changed everything.

People in this episode

Host: John Banther

Topics covered

  • Richard Wagner
  • opera
  • music history
  • biography

Keywords

  • Wagner
  • Ring Cycle
  • Judaism in Music
  • opera history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Judaism in Music, Ring Cycle

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