After Shakespeare, it´s Richard Wagner´s turn.

I have nothing to say on his behalf. Not that there would be much to say.

When it comes to opera as an art form, I don´t rate it highly. In fact, I can´t take opera seriously. People scream insanities and usually so that you can´t make out the words, and quite often they are even on a language which most of the audience doesn´t understand. But who cares? Opera is really a social occasion for those who have wealth - sadly backed often by the society, as the companies are not ready to put the ticket prices as high as they should if they would be after commercial success. So the average tax payer pays so that the elite can meet in a glamorous environment.

There are two great sins that will always stain the memory of the republic of Venice. The first is the sacking of Constantinople in 1204. The second is the invention of the opera during the baroque.