Customer Reviews

The Wagner Clan: The Saga of Germany's Most Illustrious and Infamous Family

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This is an extraordinary book that reads like a saga from the pages of The Godfather. A revelation to anyone thrilled by the majestic, thrilling music of the Master, but also shocking because of the longstanding antisemitism of the Wagner clan, and the unsavory family dramas. One can understand why the Master's music still provokes anguish in Israel despite the soaring notes. As Thomas Mann famously put it: "There is much Hitler in Wagner."
The book is absorbing, well-researched, and reads like a thriller, documenting the backstage drama and unusual characters behind Bayreuth from the time of Wagner to the present. No wonder "The Economist" nominated it as one of the ten best books of 2007.

Two big thumbs up for Jonathan Carr's achievement!

In this his last book, Jonathan Carr (1942-2008), the biographer of Helmut Schmidt and Gustav Mahler, has written a brilliant collective biography of the Wagner family. He tells the story of Richard Wagner's extraordinary music and of his family's fights over the ownership and control of the Bayreuth music festival.

Wagner backed the 1848 revolutions, but had failed to learn from the 1789 French Revolution which, as Carr points out, "gave a mighty boost to the cause of Jewish emancipation." Wagner's repellent anti-Semitism stains his fame.

Also, the Wagner family was closer to Hitler than any other German family was. They knew Hitler as `Uncle Wolf', so often did he visit their Bayreuth home. The family welcomed his patronage and never distanced themselves from his politics. Later, they showed no remorse and accepted no responsibility for Nazi crimes.

Carr concludes that Wagner was not `particularly to blame for the Holocaust', largely because there were so many other guilty parties. Nor was his music especially palatable to the Nazis, although they used his `Ride of the Valkyries' as sound track to newsreels of their air raids, as did Francis Ford Coppola to scenes of US helicopter attacks on Vietnam in `Apocalypse Now'.

Wagner's great opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen "shows how disaster strikes those spurred by greed and lust for power." Wagner's rebellious grand-daughter Friedelind later called Hitler `Alberich-Hitler', identifying him with the Ring's lethal Nibelung, whose hunger for power sparks the saga that ends in the apocalypse of Götterdämmerung.

Wonderful history of the Wagner family that would be enjoyed by music lovers and non-music lovers alike.

Forget about Dallas and Falcon Crest. If you enjoy reading about the inner struggles of vying family members, then you will enjoy this book. Author Jonathan Carr has shown us that the Wagners are all eccentric to the point of being caricatures of themselves. For instance, they were way too happy to call Hitler their Uncle Wolf and welcome him to their festivals honoring the pater familias, who as all have noted, composed beautifully and lived scandalously.

Even the most avid Wagnerian will admit that in spite of his often stirring and occasionally sublime music, Wagner was not exactly an easy fellow to know, let alone get along with. His Cosima perpetuated the glowing torch of his memory to the point of obsession--for which she could be praised or faulted. Yet it is hard to find anything redeeming in her, due to her virulent anti-Semitism.

The most tragic aspect of the Wagner's saga is how all of them seem both blessed and cursed by the composer's undisciplined life and long-shadowed legacy. In their multi-generational squabbles, foibles and follies, the adage holds true of the Wagners: The nuts don't fall far from the tree.

If you are into Wagner (and all you have to do is listen to any of his music and you will be) this is a most interesting book. Great background on Bayreuth and the festival. Yes, sad that Winifred went gaga over Hitler and a low mark for Bayreuth. But it happened...let's move on. To attend the festival at Bayreuth is a grand experience. This book brings it back...with all the good and bad memories. Hitler did say one good thing: "You can never have too much Wagner." I highly recommend this book.
Beautifuly written to boot.

I'm relatively new to opera world, starting to listen little over two years ago; and only beginning to listen to Wagner last year. But his music is by far some of the most powerful and entrancing I have ever heard. Richard Wagner is one of the those composers whose life is just as exciting (or notorious) as his work. To learn of his personal life is to have all preconceptions shattered...especially in this day and age.

The troubled and infamous history of Wagner and his family is well outlined in Carr's book. It is well written and and captivating read. My one complaint deals more with the structure, as the chapters tend to deal with a single theme, time or family member (more predominantly in the beginning) and then go back to fill in the blanks with subsequent chapters. So initially this makes the narrative slightly scattered.

For anyone interested in history, opera, Wagner and Bayreuth this book is a must have. The ups and downs of the Wagner family reads like a soap opera. It is also an interesting book due to its breadth. It spans Richard Wagner's life all the way through to the present generation...through the formation of Germany, the first World War, the Second World War and Nazi Germany and afterwards. It gives a clear picture of the lives that have revolved around the Wagner/Bayreuth sphere while also leaving final judgement to the reader.

I found this book excellent, to those interested in the politics in Wagner era,
his music and the unsavory family dramas (a kind of hell really) as well.
It is no wonder that "The Economist" nominated it as one of the ten
best books of 2007.
It deserves it really.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) ranks alongside Italian G. Verdi as the greatest opera composer of all time. Among his gigantic works are "The Ring Cycle (Das Rheingold, The Valkyrie, Siegrfried and Twilight of the Gods), "Der Meistersinger" (his only "comedy"); Tannhaueser, Lohengrin and Parsifal.
Wagner was many things to many people. He was a notorious womanizer being unfaithful to his singer-wife Minna. Among other lovers were Mathilde Wessendock (spouse of an industrialist who gave Wagner money needed to keep composing) and Cosima Wagner (the illegitimate daughter of Franz Liszt and Maria d'Agoult. Wagner married Cosima after she divorced her conductor husband Hans Van Bulow. They had already conceived a daughter named Isolde. Cosima worshipped Richard who was a narcissitic worshipper of himself and his art. Her long diary presents an unsavory picture of Wagner who wrote horrible screeds against Judaism (even though he did have some Jewish friends-Wagner was friendly with anyone he could use for financial or critical support). His daughter Eva wed Houston Chamberlain who was famous for his anti-semetic writings.
Wagner died in 1883 being known for his musical genius, bitter hatred of Jews and love of luxury, women, dogs, fine foods and mooching off of King Ludwig II of Bavaria who supported his work. Cosima took over the Wagner's Bayreuth Festival. She was antisemitic and was a tough cookie in running the show on the Green Hill. She died in 1939.
Her son Siegfried a composer who was a fairly pleasant sort. He married an English woman Winifred who was several years younger than he. When Siegfried died in 1930 it was Winifred who ran Bayreuth. She was a fanatical Nazi who adored Adolf Hitler. Hitler was close to the Wagner family demanding his lackeys attend the festival keeping it financially afloat during the Depression and World War II. Winifred spoke highly of Hitler until her death in 1980.
She and Siegfried were the parents of four children. Daughter Friedelind hated the Nazis and became an American citizen. Daughter Verena married an SS officer and stayed close to Bayreuth. The two sons were very different. Wieland was a dreamy, moody, secretive man who did not serve in World War II. He married a dancer but was unfaithful and difficult to like. He died in 1966. His more practical brother Wolfgang served as a German soldier and became a powerful producer of the Bayreuth festival. He wed twice. Today the children of these two strong men are quarreling over who will head the Bayreuth Festival.
The Wagner family has a tragic history of antisemitism although some members such as Gottfried Wagner (a son of Wolfgang) seek to work with groups seeking peace and justice.He seeks to atone for Germany's responsibility of mass murder in the Holocaust.
Jonathan Carr has done a fine job of presenting a history of the illustrious and notorious Wagners. This is an excellent book for those who love opera, music, and the impact of politics on art. Recommended.

Well written. If you looking for a biography of
Richard Wagner this is not it, and you need to buy another book. This is the story of how the family was able to retain control of Wagner's preformances. I found the first part of the book to be most interesting since it discribes Richard and events up to 1947. The post World War II porition of the book is less interesting since it resembles a "soap opera" and I lost interest in the spoiled Wagner grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Yes well I thought this was a very interesting book. It explains alot of connections between Nationalists of the day and read like a who's who of the right. Really put alot of it all in context for me. I would recommend it to all Nationalists as a good history of what was going on at the time.