Richard Wagner: The Lighter Side

Richard Wagner: The Lighter Side appeals to classical music and opera enthusiasts in general, but particularly the many thousands of members of the 135 Wagner Societies around the world.  There are many books about every aspect of Wagner's life and works, but none has focused on the trivia, the interesting facts, anecdotes, and quotations about the man and his operas.  For more than twenty years, Terry Quinn has collected information on each of Wagner's 13 completed operas and the difficulties encountered in staging them; famous Wagnerian directors, conductors, and singers; key persons in the composer's life, especially the women, not to mention the dysfunctional Wagner family; Wagner's visits to London; the festival and theater he created in Bavaria; and a great deal more.  Also included are interviews with current Wagnerian scholars.  Paperback, 320 p.