Who's Wagner, Doc?

If Wagner was still alive today, he would have just celebrated his 195th (!) birthday yesterday. His influence was felt by many including Baudelaire, Freud, Joyce, Nietzsche, and any/every important contemporary of his. Some recent adaptations in mainstream media that come to mind include a terrible Tristan + Isolde movie and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy (based off of Wagner's Ring cycle).

For me most memorable tribute to Wagner comes from a not-too-recent cartoon clip about a hunter. He sings a song "Kill the Wabbit" set to the Ride of the Valkyries (this piece also worked well in Apocalypse Now). It also includes the "Flying Dutchman Overture", “Siegfried's Horn Call” , and various excerpts from Tannhäuser (although Bugs Bunny's character Brunnhilde is from the Ring cycle). If you want to listen to more, Barnes and Noble is having a sale for classical music, buy two and get the third CD for free! Feel free to drop us a line if you want recommendations or if you want to recommend something.