Wagner, R.: Arias

Featuring

Leif Segerstam
Juha Uusitalo
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Richard Wagner

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Cultural Impact

Wagner's music was enormously influential, impacting composers like Schoenberg, Debussy, Scriabin, and Sibelius in the early 20th century.

Composition History

Wagner's magnum opus, the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring cycle), took almost 30 years of the composer's life to write both the libretto and the music.

Cultural Impact

The tonal revolution of the 20th century was a direct consequence of the chromatic complexities found in Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde.

Performer Biography

Juha Uusitalo, a bass-baritone soloist, was engaged by the Finnish National Opera in 2000 and now tours major international opera houses.

Performer Biography

Leif Segerstam, the conductor, was the 11th Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra from 1995-2007 and is now its Emeritus Chief Conductor.

Composer's Artistic Vision

For his Ring cycle, Wagner drew inspiration from the German Medieval epic Das Nibelungenlied, the Nordic Edda, and the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer.

Composer Biography

Richard Wagner, a composer who evokes strong reactions, is considered by some a supreme genius and pioneer of opera, while others see him as an egomaniac who built an opera house solely for his own works.