WAGNER & ME
There are few brains I covet in the world more than Stephen Fry’s. This one-man band of brilliance – writer, actor, TV presenter, former convict and raconteur – could wax lyrical on the mating habits of Argentinian worker ants and I would sit mesmerised (and to be completely honest, just a little turned on). But enough about me.
Wagner and Me is Fry’s attempt to confront a question that has long plagued him: can he reconcile his adoration of German composer and poster-child for Anti-Semitism, Richard Wagner – whom he calls “the greatest genius that ever lived” – with his own ethnicity? Or, in his words, “Am I betraying my Jewishness?” Yes, Wagner was an ardent anti-Semite whose music became the soundtrack of choice for Nazi rallies. But this, “nasty little man” was also a musical mastermind, who changed the nature of opera and created some of the greatest pieces of music known to man.
Like everything Stephen Fry touches, Wagner and Me is a piece of gold – interesting, entertaining, even moving at times. Taking us from Germany to Russia via Switzerland and back again, it is a fascinating look at the life and work of the very controversial Wagner, that leaves the audience wondering along with Fry: Can we separate the art from the artist? (NC) ****
