Wagner was of aristocratic lineage and his family was heavily involved in the theatre. He was educated at Leipzig University and, after graduation, took a position as conductor for a touring opera company. From 1839 to 1842 he was in Paris and produced his first success, Rienzi, during that final year. While working for the court opera at Dresden, he produced The Flying Dutchman (1843) and Tannhauser (1845), which were immensely successful. Wagner was involved in the 1848 Revolution in Germany and was sent into exile in 1849 where he remained for 10 years. During this period he produced a number of prose works, essays, etc, and began work on his monumental four opera Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), which would eventually consist of Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung. The Ring was finally completed in 1876 and was performed at the newly opened Bayreuth opera house. His other major works include Lohengrin (1848), Tristan und Isolde (1865), Die Meistersinger (1868) and Parsifal (1882). |
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