With their complex textures, rich harmonies, and elaborate use of leitmotifs, the operas of German composer Richard Wagner (1813-83) remain some of the most influential--and contentious--in the history of the genre. But while he won renown with what he achieved on the stage, his life was marked by political exile, turbulent love affairs, and poverty. And because Wagner and his music are exceedingly intertwined with the great upheavals of his time, it is difficult to produce an impartial assessment of his output. Appearing at the bicentennial of his birth, Richard Wagner provides a...