Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer , Wagner revolutionised opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk "total work of art" , whereby he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama.
The drama was to be presented as a continuously sung narrative, without conventional operatic structures like arias and recitatives. He described this vision in a series of essays published between and Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the hour, four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen The Ring of the Nibelung , also known simply as The Ring. Wagner's compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures , rich harmonies and orchestration , and the elaborate use of leitmotifs —musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements.
His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres , greatly influenced the development of classical music; his Tristan und Isolde is regarded as an important precursor towards modern music. As he matured, he softened his ideological stance against traditional operatic forms ie. To properly present his vision of the works, Wagner had his own opera house built to his specifications: the Bayreuth Festspielhaus , which featured many innovative design elements intended to immerse the audience in the drama.
The premieres of The Ring and Parsifal took place there, and his most important stage works are performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival. The early success of the festival was secured by the efforts of his wife, Cosima Wagner , and has since been maintained by their descendants , attracting audiences from around the world.
Wagner's unorthodox operas, essays, and personal dealings engendered considerable controversy during his lifetime, and continue to do so. Declared a "genius" by some and a "disease" by others, his music is widely performed, but his views on religion, politics, and social life are debated—most notably on the extent to which his antisemitism finds expression in his stage and prose works.
