Wagner Without Fear

September 28, 1998
In this dumbed-down guide, Berger, a librettist and composer, attempts to make Richard Wagner's (1813-1883) operas accessible to the uninitiated. After a breezy summary of the composer's life, he devotes a chapter to each of his mature works, interspersing plot outlines with chatty commentary. There is a bit of performance history, as well as advice on how to pronounce names, get through the rough spots at the notoriously long performances and when to eat, drink and visit the restroom. He also touches on Wagner's "pseudo-philosophy," especially his anti-Semitism, but like everything else in this disappointing book, it's all oversimplified. There is little discussion of the music and too much cuteness: on Act 3 of Tristan, for example: "These monologues are ballbusters!" and "They're dropping like flies at Castle Kareol!" Some of the sections entitled "Lobby Talk" are thought-provoking--"Nuremberg as City and Concept" (Meistersinger) and the speculation about the power of a person's name (Lohengrin), for example. Chapters on Wagner CDs and the best books to read on the composer and his operas are useful. For the most part, however, Berger underestimates the reader and trivializes the works. Do we really need to be told that Magdalena, Eva's nurse in Meistersinger, is a "female companion," not a "medical attendant" and that The Flying Dutchman is "supposed to be, like, spooky?" It's easy to be facetious about Wagner, but Berger overdoes it. Author tour.