ABSTRACT
If the tenor of the vast abundance of books about the works of Richard Wagner is indicative of anything, it is that it is impossible to approach the man and his work with a light heart. His operas impose on any listener a profound seriousness along with a sense of awed disbelief that all of this could have been the product of a single mind. Wagner himself would surely consider this earnest critical attention richly deserved—he was more than tolerant of disciples and even sycophants. Wagner broke all the rules as he designed his ideal theater and created the incomparable acoustics at Bayreuth: singers are heard with bell-like clarity no matter what is going on in the orchestra. In the Spring of 2001, the Wagner Foundation tried to force the resignation of Wolfgang Wagner in favor of his daughter, Eva Wagner-Pasquier, who has had considerable administrative experience at Covent Garden, the Bastille Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.
