Sound
Richard Wagner
EN, DE, XX, FI cinema · 230 credits
Born
22 May 1813
Died
13 February 1883 (aged 69)
Birthplace
Leipzig, Germany
Also known as Рихард Вагнер · Р. Вагнер · Wilhelm Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (/ˈvɑːɡnər/; German: [ˈʁiçaʁt ˈvaːɡnɐ] (About this sound listen); 22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. He described this vision in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). His 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 sometimes described as marking the start of modern music. Famously, he is known for Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied. The four parts that constitute the Ring cycle are, in sequence: Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold) Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) Siegfried Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) Wagner had his own opera house built, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which embodied many novel design features. The Ring and Parsifal were premiered here and his most important stage works continue to be performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival, run by his descendants. His thoughts on the relative contributions of music and drama in opera were to change again, and he reintroduced some traditional forms into his last few stage works, including Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg).
Known for
Filmography
The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
La Folle Journée de Nantes 2026
Original Music Composer
Concerto di Pasqua dal Duomo di Orvieto 2026
Original Music Composer
Daniele Gatti & Gautier Capuçon Wagner, Saint-Saëns, and Debussy
Original Music Composer
Richard Wagner: Lohengrin @ Baden-Baden Easter Festival 2026
Original Music Composer, Opera
Der fliegende Holländer - Wiener Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Rienzi - Bayreuther Festspiele
Original Music Composer, Writer
Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold @ Salzburg Easter Festival, Felsenreitschule 2026
Opera, Music
Wagner: Siegfried - Royal Ballet House
Original Music Composer, Writer
Tannhäuser - Wiener Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Götterdämmerung
Original Music Composer, Writer
Vienna Opera Gala With Elina Garança, Sonya Yoncheva, Benjamin Bernheim and Jonas Kaufmann
Original Music Composer
The New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Pyongyang Great moments in music
Original Music Composer
Klaus Florian Vogt sings Mozart, Wagner, and Strauss @ Château de Neuschwanstein 2025
Original Music Composer
Tabita Berglund and Julian Steckel
Original Music Composer
Wagner: La Valchiria
Original Music Composer
Elīna Garanča - My Playlist
Original Music Composer
Wagner: Die Walküre - Royal Opera House
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
A Royal Overture Festival international de Colmar
Original Music Composer
Concerto di Pasqua dal Duomo di Orvieto 2024
Original Music Composer
Wagner: Das Rheingold - Royal Opera House
Writer, Original Music Composer
Richard Wagner: Götterdämmerung - Aus der Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Writer
Richard Wagner: Siegfried - Aus der Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Original Music Composer
First Last Man
Adaptation
Parsifal
Writer
Radio France Choir and Orchestra Poulenc, Wagner, Debussy & Fauré
Original Music Composer
Der fliegende Holländer
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Metropolitan Opera: The Flying Dutchman
Original Music Composer, Writer
Die Walküre - Metropolitan Opera
Original Music Composer, Writer
Tannhäuser
Writer, Original Music Composer
Götterdämmerung - Wiener Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Original Music Composer, Writer
Lohengrin
Original Music Composer
The Binocle
Original Music Composer
Lohengrin
Writer, Original Music Composer
Parsifal - Bayerische Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Die Walküre
Original Music Composer
Götterdämmerung - Wiener Staatsoper
Original Music Composer, Writer
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Bayreuther Festspiele
Original Music Composer, Writer
Parsifal - Wiener Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg - Bayerische Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tristan und Isolde - Metropolitan Opera
Writer, Original Music Composer
Richard Wagner - Lohengrin
Original Music Composer
Das Liebesverbot
Original Music Composer, Writer
The Ring of the Nibelung: The Rhinegold
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Ring of the Nibelung: The Valkyrie
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Ring of the Nibelung: Siegfried
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Ring of the Nibelung: Twilight of the Gods
Writer, Original Music Composer
Lohengrin - Semperoper Dresden
Writer, Original Music Composer
Das Rheingold - Wiener Staatsoper
Original Music Composer, Writer
Parsifal
Writer, Original Music Composer
Der fliegende Holländer - Royal Opera House
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Metropolitan Opera: Tannhäuser
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tristan Und Isolde
Original Music Composer, Writer
Die Walküre - Wiener Staatsoper
Original Music Composer, Writer
Parsifal - Wiener Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Parsifal
Original Music Composer, Writer
Tristan und Isolde - Wiener Staatsoper
Writer, Original Music Composer
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Metropolitan Opera
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tannhäuser
Original Music Composer, Writer
Tannhäuser
Writer, Original Music Composer
Byeway
Original Music Composer
Wagner: Siegfried
Original Music Composer, Writer
Das Rheingold - De Nationale Opera
Writer, Original Music Composer
Die Walküre - De Nationale Opera
Writer, Original Music Composer
Siegfried - De Nationale Opera
Writer, Original Music Composer
Götterdämmerung - De Nationale Opera Amsterdam
Writer, Original Music Composer
Hitler und der Wagner Clan
2013
Hitler und der Wagner Clan
as Self (archive footage), Music
Wagner: Das Rheingold
Original Music Composer
Wagner: Die Walküre
Original Music Composer
Parsifal
Writer, Original Music Composer
Parsifal - Salzburger Osterfestspiele
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Götterdämmerung - Teatro alla Scala
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Original Music Composer, Writer
Parsifal
2012
Parsifal
Music, Writer
Götterdämmerung
Original Music Composer, Writer
Parsifal
Original Music Composer, Writer
Lohengrin
Writer, Original Music Composer
Siegfried
Original Music Composer, Writer
The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre
Original Music Composer, Writer
Der fliegende Holländer
Original Music Composer
Wagner: Die Walküre
Original Music Composer
Wagner: Siegfried
Original Music Composer, Writer
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Original Music Composer
Rienzi, der letzte der Tribunen
Writer, Original Music Composer
Das Rheingold
Original Music Composer, Writer
Wagner: Das Rheingold
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tannhäuser
Original Music Composer
Die Walküre
Music, Writer
Lohengrin: Bayreuth Festival Opera
Music, Writer
The Met - Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
Europa Concert 2007
as Composer
Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Parsifal
Original Music Composer
Das Rheingold
Original Music Composer, Writer
Siegfried
Original Music Composer, Writer
Die Walküre
Original Music Composer, Writer
Götterdämmerung
Writer, Original Music Composer
Parsifal
Writer, Music
Die Walküre
Writer, Original Music Composer
Siegfried
Writer, Original Music Composer
Götterdämmerung
Writer, Original Music Composer
Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser
Writer, Original Music Composer
Three Leaders
Original Music Composer
Das Rheingold
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tannhäuser
Music, Writer
Tristan und Isolde
Original Music Composer, Writer
Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tristan und Isolde
Original Music Composer, Writer
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Original Music Composer, Writer
Wagner: Tannhäuser
Original Music Composer
Richard Wagner: Parsifal
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tristan und Isolde
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Ring Cycle: Die Walkure
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Ring Cycle: Siegfried
Writer, Original Music Composer
Der fliegende Holländer
1992
The Flying Dutchman
Original Music Composer
The Ring Cycle: Gotterdammerung
Writer, Original Music Composer
The Ring Cycle: Das Rheingold
Writer, Original Music Composer
Lohengrin
Writer, Original Music Composer
Das Rheingold
Writer, Original Music Composer
Siegfried
Writer, Original Music Composer
Götterdämmerung
Original Music Composer, Writer
Die Walküre
Writer, Original Music Composer
Bludný Holanďan
1989
Bludný Holanďan
Original Music Composer, Opera
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Music, Writer
Lohengrin - Metropolitan Opera
Original Music Composer, Writer
Der fliegende Holländer
Original Music Composer, Writer
Tristan und Isolde
Original Music Composer, Writer
Zizi
Music
Parsifal
Original Music Composer, Writer
The Metropolitan Opera - Wagner: Tannhäuser
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner - Tristan Und Isolde
Compositor, Writer
Wagner: Das Rheingold
Writer, Original Music Composer
Siegfried - Bayreuther Festspiele
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Die Walküre
Writer, Original Music Composer
Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg Castle
Writer, Original Music Composer
Wagner: Das Rheingold
Writer, Original Music Composer
Adolf and Marlene
Original Music Composer
Der Fliegende Holländer
Original Music Composer
Ludwig
Music
Tristan und Isolde
Original Music Composer
Tristan und Isolde
Original Music Composer, Writer
The Flying Dutchman
Original Story, Music
The Evil Forest
Original Story, Original Music Composer
Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 7: Wagner
Original Music Composer
Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 4: Mozart, Dvorak, Wagner
Original Music Composer
Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 1: Wagner
Original Music Composer
La verdadera victoria
Original Music Composer
Die Nibelungen: Siegfried
Original Music Composer
Tannhäuser
Opera, Story