Classical music rocks

Celebrating controversial Richard Wagner:

Angu Rajendran

The Goethe Institute celebrates German classical musician Richard Wagner’s bicentennial birth anniversary on 19th May with a recital. A selection of Wagner’s works will be sung by Sri Lankan vocalist Asitha Tennekoon who will be accompanied on the piano by our very own Eshantha Peiris.

As recently as last year, a concert of Richard Wagner’s works was canceled in Tel Aviv, Israel. However in Dusseldorf, Germany when last month’s staging of Wagner’s opera Tannhauser was changed into a vocal concert due to audience protests, the New York Times had commented ‘German society has never fully come to terms with Wagner’s mixture of artistic brilliance, poisonous anti-Semitism, and in particular, his posthumous exaltation, in the hands of the Nazis. More than 130 years after his death, his popularity remains undimmed but is no less problematic for it.’

Richard Wagner, who was a very controversial musician of his time, produced, according to young Sri Lankan tenor Asitha Tennekoon, some of the most beautiful operas.

According to Asitha, ‘Wagner’s operas are outstanding as he considered every aspect of the opera. When he wrote the music, he did not leave it at just that. He considered the visual aspect and the libretto(the script of the opera), etc. That is why even today, though his philosophical/political views were anti-Semitic, the operas that he wrote are celebrated and enjoyed and usually sold-out, all over the world.’

According to Asitha, ‘Wagner was one of Hitler’s favorite composers, and it is said that Wagner’s music was played when the Jews were sent to the gas chambers. Therein lies the controversy. But his music is outstanding and brilliant and hence cannot be ignored; rather, the more we listen to it, the more we can appreciate it.’

Asitha and Eshantha are both looking forward to this performance on the 19th at the Goetthe Institute where Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder will be the centrepiece.

Q: Wagner composed the Wesendonck Lieder specifically for female voices, will it be easy for you to sing his composition?

Asitha: Well, though this cycle is a setting of poems by Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of one of Wagner's patrons it is more soul searching and looking within oneself. It is fairly unisex in content, and is actually well-suited to my voice.

Q: Are most operas composed for female voices?

Asitha: No not at all. There are both male and female voices in an opera.

When the content is not specifically pertaining to a woman, either voice can sing it.

Q:Would you say that Western Classical music is gaining in popularity with your generation, considering that young musicians like the two of you will be performing or is the audience most likely to be an older crowd?

Eshantha: We’re hoping that the audience will include a cross-section of all ages, who appreciate music.

Q: Have you both performed together before?

Eshantha and Asitha: Yes, in a recital of English, German and French art songs.

Q: Though music as a whole is gaining lot of momentum in this world of technology with Youtube, ipods, smartphones etc, do you think Western classical music will survive in the midst of all the new developments.

Eshantha: Though Western classical music does not control a sizeable share of the music market, it will survive as long as it is a relevant part of the culture or society within which it exists.

Asitha: As long as it can evoke an emotional response, classical music will always be relevant because emotions are relevant. Many things are being done differently with classical music to help it to adapt with the changing times. Sometimes the opera is streamed to movie theatres, live. The projections are different. So I believeit will survive our generation too.