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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.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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