Disturbing the Universe: Wagner's Musikdrama

The Amazon No. 1 Bestseller

'Engaging, wry and topical' — The Wagner Journal

'A rattling good read. Vivid, colourful ... A valuable addition to any Wagnerian's library – highly recommended.' — Paul Carey Jones

'A great and necessary addition to the Wagner literature. Clever and clear without being intellectually boring.' — Matthew Rose

'A sensational tome. A perfect introduction to Wagner's complex world, but also completely engaging for the lifelong Wagner nut.' — Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director: Colorado MahlerFest

Wagner’s art refuses to stand still, declines to play by the rules and will not observe any of the social graces.

What is it that makes Wagner so endlessly powerful? So influential, seductive and repellent? So simultaneously creative and destructive? And why does it continue to shock, thrill and disturb all those who encounter it?

In Disturbing the Universe, David Vernon probes – in his incisive, provocative style – each of Wagner's mature works individually, from Der fliegende Holländer to Parsifal. He unpacks and interrogates the exquisite networks Wagner created through the radical development of opera into musikdrama.

Written in spirited and enticing prose, this book will appeal to Wagner addicts and connoisseurs as well as to novices and sceptics. It invites us all to look anew at a timeless and controversial art.