Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

German operatic composer famous for some of the most visionary and powerful music of all time. His defining work is the collosal 'Ring Cycle' a four part opera to be played over 4 days, featuring over 15 hours of dense orchestral music. It is one of the crowning acheivements in all Art.

Wagner himself led a stormy life, exiled from Germany for a brief time on political grounds, and with a tempestuous love life. He had to struggle throughout his life to get his vision of 'Music and Drama' heard, but was eventually awarded the patronage of King Ludwig of Bavaria, and had a unique opera house built in Bayreuth, especially for his music dramas.

He wrote little outside of opera, and all his works call for very large orchestra and vocal writing of the most technically difficult in the repertoire.