I haven't seen Rienzi (I got a copy but it's still unwatched), and I haven't listened to his two juvenile efforts, which he didn't consider as part of his works (he called them "immature works" and left instructions to ban them from ever being performed at Bayreuth).
Not considering the above three, I'd like to see how you guys rank Wagner's 10 major operas. Here is how I'd do it:
1. Tristan und Isolde
2. Die Walküre
3. Götterdämmerung
4. Das Rheingold
5. Lohengrin
6. Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
7. Siegfried
8. Tannhäuser
9. Parsifal
10. Der Fliegende Holländer
I know that the most controversial item of my ranking is the low position granted to Parsifal. Yes, the music is sublime but I just can't stomach it with all that incense and pretense. On the other hand, being 9th among Wagner's operas is not a lowly positon, because actually all 10 are extremely good. It's just that among all these masterpieces, my esteem for Parsifal (and Der Fliegende Holländer) is a little smaller than what I feel for the other eight.
Not considering the above three, I'd like to see how you guys rank Wagner's 10 major operas. Here is how I'd do it:
1. Tristan und Isolde
2. Die Walküre
3. Götterdämmerung
4. Das Rheingold
5. Lohengrin
6. Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
7. Siegfried
8. Tannhäuser
9. Parsifal
10. Der Fliegende Holländer
I know that the most controversial item of my ranking is the low position granted to Parsifal. Yes, the music is sublime but I just can't stomach it with all that incense and pretense. On the other hand, being 9th among Wagner's operas is not a lowly positon, because actually all 10 are extremely good. It's just that among all these masterpieces, my esteem for Parsifal (and Der Fliegende Holländer) is a little smaller than what I feel for the other eight.