Sterling Newberry writes:

>On can critique the late 19th century through critiquing Wagner's opera
>dramas - its petty racisms, its nihilistic fear of its rag to riches
>rise, its lies to shroud deep insecurities, its bombast and stullifying
>weight - as much as one can hail the age's technological advancements,
>organisational acheivements and search for sublime beauty in unified
>action.

I have recently written extensively on the Ring and I must insist that
unlike, Shakespeare, I see nothing racist in Wagner's music dramas.  The
Nibelungs are dwarves, not Jews, not homosexuals, not gipsies etc.  The
Gods are Gods, not superior Aryan etc.  To see 'race' theory in Wagner one
has to adopt as perverse an interpretation of him as Hitler imposed upon
Wagner, and thus ends up conceding to Hitler that he was right in
interpreting Wagner in such a way.

Further I see no nihilistic fear of any rags to riches rise.  I see no
bombast.  I see no stultifying weight.  None of these things have anything
to do with the Ring or any other work by Wagner at all.  Sorry I don't
understand what you are talking about at all!  Now that I have defended
20th century music do I now have to defend the 19th as well!?

Clearly Stirling Newberry is no Wagnerian.  But perhaps Wagner is not meant
for everyone...

Satoshi Akima