Reviews of Michael Tanner's book "Wagner"?
Jonathan Brown
Has anyone seen a review of this book in the New York Times Book
Review, or elsewhere? Not seen it reviewed yet in Australia.
Jonathan Brown
Canberra
Tauser
Two or three insights of interest for me...but on the whole a rather
shallow effort IMHO. I am aware that this man is a celebrated Don and
legendary critic.....but I found this essay rather vapid. Good for
beginners. Tauser
JanRosen
Well.... I'm only half-way through Tanner's book, and I find it pretty
good -- informative and enlightening ---- I am not a newcomer to Wagner by
the way -- I have already read most of the good critical works of music
criticism and biography dealing with Wagner...
I am reading Tanner because I want to keep abrest of the field ( I am an
amatuer who thinks Wagner is the greatest thing that ever happened to
opera.)
Tanner's style reminds me of some of my professors in graduate school --
very direct and down to earth, attempting to shatter what ever
pre-conceptions he thinks you may have, and not taking any gruff.
I like the way he goes through every opera and analysis the important
aspects of them -- raises some interesting issues dealing with the heroic
ideal in each opera.
I think the most important aspect of Tanner's work that should be
considered is:
Why does Wagner's music have such an influence and hold on us (if it
doesn't grab you the way it does me that's okay), and why does Wagner
elicit such extremes of hatred and love that no other artist has ever
received? Tanner also tries to explain why it is that people can forgive
the transgressions of Beethoven and other musicians, but for the same
"crime" can't forgive Wagner.
At the beginning of the book, Tanner comes across as a "savior from false
opionions" -- hoping to reach readers who have not been lead astray by
misconceptions on Wagner.
Yes, it's definately worth reading. Not too expensive, got it from
Borders for $18.
As for reviews in publications about this book, I checked the Book Review
Digest and Book Review Index at my library. Tanner's book is not mentioned
there. I think its too new. Try checking Book Review Digest and Book
Review Index every month to see if there is a listing for it. The book is
important enough that some major literary publication, newspaper, or opera
magazine will do a review on it.
More later....
Janice
JanR...@aol.com
Stefan
Thank you for your words about Tanner's book. I read it just now and I do
not understand why some critics seem to have dismissed it.
He brings some new thoughts into a huge subject,.
Stefan J
marshall tuttle
the major problem with tanner's book is that he does not discuss music,
and without and in depth discussion of music it is impossible to make
any insightful statements about the meaning of wagner's operas.
joseph kerman has remarked that if it doesn't happen in the music it is
not opera, how much more must this be true of Wagner than of the other
composers he was discussing? yet philosophers, writers, politicians,
etc. all have no
compunction whatsoever in eloquent but ultimately vapid discourse on
wagner's
operas and his intentions without referring to a single note of music
or
recognizing anything of what he says through it.
the book may be entertaining and thought provoking, but it is no help
in
understanding wagner.
Jonathan Brown
>the major problem with tanner's book is that he does not discuss music,
>and without and in depth discussion of music it is impossible to make
>any insightful statements about the meaning of wagner's operas.
>
[snip]
>
>the book may be entertaining and thought provoking, but it is no help
>in understanding wagner.
This is a bit rich. Books are for reading. Music is for listening.
Books that talk about music, that quote musical examples, are limiting
their audience, and limiting their arguments to technicalities.
Michael Tanner's book gets behind all that, and tells us what he
thinks the operas and Wagner actually MEANS - to him at least.
Many others go on ad nauseum on one point or another - myths, textual
sources, leitmotivs, etc. - and leave you unpersuaded at the end.
Tanner's book does what the best writing on SHOULD do: it drives you
to listen to the music anew.
Let's hope his next book is a discography. His pieces in the Music
Discount Centre's "Classic Express" and in "Classic CD" justify
subscriptions by themselves.
Jonathan Brown
Stefan
I agree with Mr Brown. Tanner is entertaining and thought provoking and
his comments on the latest theatrical traditions in Wagner performances
are very acute. I do not agree with him on everything when it comes to
judging this or that and one may come to other results in the analysis of
various parts of the operas with other methods but Tanner's book is worth
reading.
Stefan J