Wagner's life from the 1848 revolution through exile and rescue by King Ludwig II, climaxing with his Bayreuth triumph. His radical ideas on music, nationalism, and anti-Semitism are explored.

A huge panorama of Richard Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848 revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to the final triumph at Bayreuth. Richard Wagner's radical musical and political ideas, his German nationalism, and even his anti-Semitism are set in the context of his life and times.—Adrian Thorpe <acthorpe@epic.net>