Richard Wagner

from Leipzig, Germany

Image of Richard Wagner

Biography

Wilhelm Richard Wagner (/ˈvɑːɡnər/; German: [ˈʁiçaʁt ˈvaːɡnɐ] (About this sound listen); 22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works.

He described this vision in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). His compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs—musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements. His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, greatly influenced the development of classical music. His Tristan und Isolde is sometimes described as marking the start of modern music.

Famously, he is known for Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied.

The four parts that constitute the Ring cycle are, in sequence: Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold) Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) Siegfried Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

Wagner had his own opera house built, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which embodied many novel design features. The Ring and Parsifal were premiered here and his most important stage works continue to be performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival, run by his descendants. His thoughts on the relative contributions of music and drama in opera were to change again, and he reintroduced some traditional forms into his last few stage works, including Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg).

Timeline

2027Future projects

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera 2026/27: Parsifal

    Writer

2026Aged 213

  • Poster for La Folle Journée de Nantes 2026

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Concerto di Pasqua dal Duomo di Orvieto 2026

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde

    Music

  • Poster for Richard Wagner: Lohengrin @ Baden-Baden Easter Festival 2026

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Der fliegende Holländer - Wiener Staatsoper

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Daniele Gatti & Gautier Capuçon Wagner, Saint-Saëns, and Debussy

    Original Music Composer

2025Aged 212

  • Poster for Vienna Opera Gala With Elina Garança, Sonya Yoncheva, Benjamin Bernheim and Jonas Kaufmann

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Pyongyang Great moments in music

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Klaus Florian Vogt sings Mozart, Wagner, and Strauss @ Château de Neuschwanstein 2025

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: La Valchiria

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Elīna Garanča - My Playlist

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Götterdämmerung

    Writer

  • Poster for Royal Ballet & Opera 2024/25: Die Walküre

    Music

  • Poster for Tannhäuser - Wiener Staatsoper

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Bayreuth Festival 2025

    Writer

  • Poster for Planet Arium

    Writer

  • Poster for Tabita Berglund and Julian Steckel

    Original Music Composer

2024Aged 211

  • Poster for A Royal Overture Festival international de Colmar

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Concerto di Pasqua dal Duomo di Orvieto 2024

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

  • Poster for Das Rheingold

    Writer

  • Poster for Die Walküre

    Writer

  • Poster for Siegfried

    Writer

  • Poster for Götterdämmerung

    Writer

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

2023Aged 210

2022Aged 209

2021Aged 208

  • Poster for Radio France Choir and Orchestra Poulenc, Wagner, Debussy & Fauré

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Yo, Diablo

    Music

  • Poster for Wagner - Das Rheingold (Deutsche Oper Berlin)

    Lyricist

  • Poster for Parsifal

    Writer

2020Aged 207

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: The Flying Dutchman

    Music

  • Poster for The Infinite Confinement

    Music

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Writer

2019Aged 206

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Self - Composer

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre

    Writer

2018Aged 205

  • Poster for The Flying Dutchman: Teatro Real Madrid

    Writer

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The Binocle

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

2017Aged 204

  • Poster for Wagner: Parsifal

    Lyricist

  • Poster for La Petite mort

    Music

  • Poster for Wagner: Die Walküre

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The Opera House

    Music

2016Aged 203

  • Poster for Eifman Ballet: The Brothers Karamazov

    Music

  • Poster for Das Liebesverbot

    Writer

  • Poster for Roger D'Astous

    Music

  • Poster for Richard Wagner - Lohengrin

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Tristan and Isolde

    Music

  • Poster for The Ring of the Nibelung: The Rhinegold

    Writer

  • Poster for The Ring of the Nibelung: The Valkyrie

    Music

  • Poster for The Ring of the Nibelung: Siegfried

    Music

  • Poster for The Ring of the Nibelung: Twilight of the Gods

    Music

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

  • Poster for Gott liebt ein menschliches Weib

    Idea

2015Aged 202

  • Poster for Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer

    Writer

  • Poster for Tristan Und Isolde

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: Tannhäuser

    Writer

2014Aged 201

  • Poster for Wagner: Siegfried

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Byeway

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Götterdämmerung

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Tannhäuser

    Writer

  • Poster for Tannhauser

    Writer

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: The Master-Singers of Nuremberg

    Writer

2013Aged 200

2012Aged 199

2011Aged 198

  • Poster for Parsifal

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre

    Opera

  • Poster for Parsifal

    Writer

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Writer

  • Poster for Wagner: Siegfried

    Opera

2010Aged 197

  • Poster for Der fliegende Holländer

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Das Rheingold

    Opera

  • Poster for Wagner: Siegfried

    Writer

  • Poster for Wagner: Die Walküre

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Götterdämmerung

    Original Music Composer

2009Aged 196

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

  • Poster for Tannhäuser

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Das Rheingold

    Writer

  • Poster for Wagner - Lohengrin

    Writer

2008Aged 195

  • Poster for The Met - Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

  • Poster for Lohengrin: Bayreuth Festival Opera

    Writer

  • Poster for Die Walküre

    Writer

  • Poster for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

    Writer

2007Aged 194

  • Poster for Wagner: Parsifal

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Proust ou les Intermittences du cœur

    Music

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

2006Aged 193

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Writer

  • Poster for Die Walküre

    Writer

  • Poster for Das Rheingold

    Writer

  • Poster for Siegfried

    Writer

  • Poster for Götterdämmerung

    Writer

  • Poster for A View from Space With Heavenly Music

    Music

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Writer

2005Aged 192

  • Poster for Parsifal

    Writer

2004Aged 191

  • Poster for Siegfried

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Die Walküre

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Götterdämmerung

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Three Leaders

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser

    Writer

2003Aged 190

  • Poster for Das Rheingold

    Original Music Composer

2001Aged 188

  • Poster for Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg

    Writer

2000Aged 187

  • Poster for Tannhäuser

    Writer

  • Poster for Lider

    Music

1999Aged 186

  • Poster for Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

    Music

  • Poster for The Man Who Would Be Kubrick

    Music

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Original Music Composer

1998Aged 185

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Parsifal: The Search for the Grail

    Writer

1995Aged 182

  • Poster for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

    Writer

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Original Music Composer

1994Aged 181

  • Poster for Wagner: Tannhäuser

    Original Music Composer

1993Aged 180

  • Poster for Richard Wagner: Parsifal

    Writer

  • Poster for Manhattan Murder Mystery

    Music

  • Poster for Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

1992Aged 179

1991Aged 178

  • Poster for The Ring Cycle: Gotterdammerung

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for The Ring Cycle: Das Rheingold

    Original Music Composer

1990Aged 177

  • Poster for Lohengrin

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Die Walküre

    Writer

  • Poster for Siegfried

    Writer

  • Poster for Das Rheingold

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Götterdämmerung

    Writer

1989Aged 176

1988Aged 175

  • Poster for Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

    Music

1986Aged 173

1985Aged 172

  • Poster for Der fliegende Holländer

    Writer

1984Aged 171

  • Poster for Agi, the Fury of Evil

    Music

1983Aged 170

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Original Music Composer

1982Aged 169

  • Poster for Parsifal

    Writer

  • Poster for Deer Hunting

    Music

  • Poster for Zizi

    Music

  • Poster for The Metropolitan Opera - Wagner: Tannhäuser

    Original Music Composer

1981Aged 168

  • Poster for Wagner - Tristan Und Isolde

    Writer

1980Aged 167

  • Poster for Wagner: Siegfried

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Die Walküre

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Götterdämmerung

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Wagner: Das Rheingold

    Original Music Composer

1979Aged 166

  • Poster for Nosferatu the Vampyre

    Music

1978Aged 165

  • Poster for Wagner: Das Rheingold

    Writer

  • Poster for Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg Castle

    Writer

1977Aged 164

  • Poster for The Greatest Love of All Time

    Music

  • Poster for Adolf and Marlene

    Original Music Composer

1975Aged 162

1973Aged 160

  • Poster for Ludwig

    Music

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Original Music Composer

1972Aged 159

  • Poster for Ludwig – Requiem for a Virgin King

    Music

1971Aged 158

  • Poster for The Fifteenth Spring

    Music

1970Aged 157

1967Aged 154

  • Poster for Tristan und Isolde

    Writer

1966Aged 153

  • Poster for Patriotism

    Music

  • Poster for Ming Green

    Music

  • Poster for The Little Chaos

    Music

1965Aged 152

  • Poster for One Man Band

    Music

1964Aged 151

  • Poster for The Flying Dutchman

    Original Story

1963Aged 150

  • Poster for To Parsifal

    Music

1959Aged 146

  • Poster for The Clock Stopped at Midnight

    Music

1955Aged 142

  • Poster for Ludwig II

    Music

1951Aged 138

  • Poster for The Evil Forest

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 7: Wagner

    Original Music Composer

1948Aged 135

  • Poster for Romantici a Venezia

    Poem

  • Poster for Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 1: Wagner

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 4: Mozart, Dvorak, Wagner

    Original Music Composer

1944Aged 131

  • Poster for La verdadera victoria

    Original Music Composer

  • Poster for Veinticuatro horas en la vida de una mujer

    Music

1924Aged 111

  • Poster for Die Nibelungen: Siegfried

    Original Music Composer

1913Aged 100

  • Poster for Tannhäuser

    Opera

1909Aged 96

Year unknown

  • Poster for Green Scream

    Music

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