Richard Wagner – Famous Works

Richard Wagner redefined opera through the concept of the music drama, uniting orchestral writing, poetry, and theatrical expression into a single artistic vision.

Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) was one of the most influential and controversial figures in 19th-century music. His works transformed opera through the fusion of music, poetry, drama, and stagecraft into a unified artistic vision, an idea he described as Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”).

His musical language is marked by expanded harmony, continuous dramatic flow, and the use of leitmotifs, elements that profoundly shaped later Romantic music and influenced composers from Mahler to 20th-century film music.

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Operas & Music Dramas:

Early Works

• Die Feen (The Fairies)
• Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love)
• Rienzi

Romantic Operas

• Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)
• Tannhäuser
• Lohengrin

The Ring Cycle - Der Ring des Nibelungen:

• Das Rheingold
• Die Walküre
• Siegfried
• Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

Late Music Dramas

• Tristan und Isolde
• Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)
• Parsifal

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Orchestral & Stage Excerpts:

• Siegfried Idyll
• Wesendonck Lieder
• Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
• Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre

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Choral & Early Works

• Faust Overture
• Selected songs and early choral works

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Theoretical Writings & Aesthetic Thought:

Although not musical compositions, Wagner’s writings had a major impact on 19th-century aesthetics:

• Opera and Drama
• The Artwork of the Future

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🔎 Work Analyses of Richard Wagner on MusiLLection

You can explore detailed analyses of selected works here:

• 🔗 Siegfried Idyll