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Title: The Perfect Wagnerite: A Commentary on the Niblung's Ring by George Bernard Shaw ISBN: 0-486-21707-8 Publisher: Dover Publications Pub. Date: 01 June, 1967 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating Criticism, Howls of Laughter
Comment: I have read almost all of Shaw's published works which have come within my reach. I see the deterioration in the quality of his work as the aging process set in, and of his defense of such people as Djerjinski and Stalin. When he is profound, he is very profound and when he is off the mark he is way out in zoonieland. This book, fortunately, shows more of his great skill at criticism and assimilation of background data than his equally great skill at polemics. Remember, the compositionof the _Ring_ was an event of the past for him, and he was able to use historical source material. But what caught my attention was that the London newspapers of his own day ran letters trying to reconcile the "Brunhilde problem" in _Gotterdamerung_. All of this was a burning issue to the London intelligentsia. But, to the point: BUY this book because it is HILARIOUS, in the best sense of that word. This is Shaw, maybe not at his level best, but close to it. Learn while you laugh! The ideas propounded in this book have been burned into my memory because I have read them over and over. Read this book if you can appreciate subtle jokes.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Perfect Wagner Critic
Comment: If we're going to have a voice worthy of critiquing the great master, it might as well be Shaw. For those who have not read any Shaw, he's a wickedly entertaining writer, though a bit high brow at times. This is a book for the Wagnerite and the layman alike, but expect to get a little insulted if you belong to the latter category. As to the philosophies in this little book, just about everyone who likes the Ring has their own unique opinion about its deep political/spiritual meanings, including Shaw. And although everything he writes seems obvious enough to him, I can't say I'm completely convinced by all his ideas. The book is certainly worth reading, however, just to hear the Shaw's elegant take on the musical masterpiece. (also, at least some of his ideas must be right) Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the book is its attack on Gotterdammerung, the beloved finale of the Ring. Shaw argues it is nearly devoid of underlying meaning and is a superficial conclusion to an otherwise philosophically sound work. As a final note, I appreciate the Mark Twain-like ascerbic criticism of society which seems incorrigibly imprinted in Shaw's style. This book is entertaining, and in certain places, profound. I give it four stars. (maybe 5 if he hadn't criticized Brahms!)
Rating: 4
Summary: A shining example of Shaw's art of musical criticism
Comment: About twenty years ago, the BBC World Service introduced me to readings from G. B. Shaw's musical criticisms. The readings showed me that critique is as much an art as the subject of the critique. This pamphlet is a shining example of Shaw's art of criticism. Shaw presents the story, he gives some musical analysis, but most of all he presents the "Ring" in a philosophical and politcal slant that only Shaw could do. I suspect that the philosophy and politics are more Shaw's than Wagner's. Great for thosw who like Wagner and G.B.Shaw. Good for someone new to Der Ring des Nibelungen.
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Title: Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round by M. Owen Lee ISBN: 0879101865 Publisher: Limelight Editions Pub. Date: 01 October, 1994 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: The Tristan Chord: Wagner and Philosophy by Bryan Magee ISBN: 0805067884 Publisher: Metropolitan Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner ISBN: 0393008673 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 June, 1977 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Aspects of Wagner (Oxford Paperbacks) by Bryan Magee ISBN: 0192840126 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1988 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Wagner Operas by Ernest Newman ISBN: 0691027161 Publisher: Princeton University Press Pub. Date: 23 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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