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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 from readers like you 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.
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