Wagner and Schopenhauer

Book excerpt: Most who write about Wagner’s operas claim that the works of Arthur Schopenhauer had a huge effect on them. The influence has, Brener believes, been vastly overstated. The most detailed exposition of that alleged influence is by Bryan Magee. In his Tristan Chord, Magee details the bases for what are often, by others, unsupported conclusions. Familiar with both the important writings of Schopenhauer and the works of Wagner, Brener is among the few capable of a thorough analysis and factual response to Magee’s claims. His conclusions, backed with primary sources, stands almost alone in opposition to accepted dogma.