February 22, 2016
In this sometimes enigmatic and always entertaining memoir, which is also part music history, Thielemann conducts readers through the musical rings of his life as well as introducing the stories, characters, and themes of Wagner’s operas and the challenges associated with conducting them. Thielemann hears Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal for the first time when he’s in his early teens. He is overwhelmed by the colors and atmosphere of Wagner’s music and decides that he wants to “play an active part in this game,” introducing Wagner to others. At Bayreuth, Thielemann learns two of the cardinal lessons of conducting Wagner: conductors profit most from rehearsals when something doesn’t work, and they can add one little piece of mosaic to the next in practical performance. Drawing on his years of conducting, Thielemann characterizes the evocative beauty and power of each of Wagner’s operas. The so-called Tristan chord, for example, “contains everything: tension, longing, desire, melancholy, pain—and also relaxation, peace, and deep pleasure.” In The Flying Dutchman, Thielemann observes, Wagner moves away from the tradition of German Romantic opera into new directions, even though Wagner wasn’t clear where those moves would take him. In Lohengrin, Wagner pleases his audience with beauty and melody before employing novel musical techniques, foreshadowing his experimental later works. Thielemann masterfully orchestrates this colorful introduction to Wagner’s music and its themes.
February 15, 2016
A renowned conductor shares insights into the powerful works of Richard Wagner (1813-1883). Currently conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden and artistic director of the Salzburg Easter Festival, Thielemann recounts his long career in music in an illuminating look at his art, focusing on the composer that he believes represents the most "fundamentally significant experience" of music. The author was a young prodigy, awarded a contract at Berlin's German Opera House when he was 19. In the following years, he rose through positions that he sees as essential to development of craftsmanship: co-repetiteur, repetiteur with duties as conductor, assistant conductor, second conductor, first conductor, general music director at small opera houses, general music director at first-ranked opera houses, guest conductor, and conductor of recordings, culminating in leadership of prestigious orchestras. There are no short cuts, the author maintains, to becoming a master. Early in his musical training, Thielemann became enraptured with Wagner, whose music, "unashamedly over the top," cast a spell over him. The author reflects on Wagner's use of myths "to create an international form of drama describing, on a gigantic scale, what happens when modern man forgets himself in striving for wealth and possessions." The composer "balances on the line between the Romantics and the modern periods in music, between fairy tale and psychoanalysis." Acknowledging Wagner's anti-Semitism and Hitler's admiration for his works, Thielemann maintains that music itself transcends politics. Much of the book reprises the themes, characters, and music of each Wagner opera, including evaluations of recordings. Tristan and Isolde, the author writes, arouses "feelings in me that I can hardly describe: sensuality, excitement, watchfulness, the wish for enjoyment." Parsifal, in which Wagner melds German and French influences, shines, "living and shimmering in an almost Impressionist and very Latin way. It can be terrifying." Thielemann's revelations about the complexities of conducting are likely to enhance any music lover's listening experiences.
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March 1, 2016
Thielemann asks at the outset: "Why is a life [of a conductor] spent with Wagner so worthwhile?" The author then sets about answering his question "from the viewpoint of a practising musician." As current conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden who has been a regular guest conductor at New York's Metropolitan Opera and other famous venues, Thielemann is well qualified to tackle this subject. He notes that the German composer was at the barricades in the revolutions of 1848-49 yet exulted in luxurious living, was often on the run from creditors, and "was not plagued by moral scruples." His overview of Richard Wagner's life (1813-83) also examines the fascination with and adulation of his music by Hitler and other Nazi leaders, which cast a pall over performances of his music for some years after World War II. Besides exploring Wagner's life and times, Thielemann provides useful commentary on each of the composer's operas. VERDICT This account offers a compelling take on what it's like to stand at the podium, ready to set orchestra and singers in motion for a performance created by one of the world's greatest composers. Most appropriate for readers with some knowledge of and interest in classical music.--Edward B. Cone, New York
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