Actor and writer Stephen Fry explores his passion for the world’s most controversial composer, but can he salvage Richard Wagner’s music from its dark associations with anti-Semitism and Hitler?
Fry’s quest begins in southern Germany where he is granted unique access to Bayreuth’s legendary annual Wagner festival. In Switzerland he discovers the origins of Wagner’s masterpiece The Ring. In Bavaria he marvels at the fairytale castle inspired by Wagner’s music, and in St Petersburg learns why Wagner fascinated Russian audiences.
But Fry also confronts the composer’s dark side. In Nuremberg he investigates how Hitler appropriated Wagner’s music, and in London meets a cellist who played in the prisoners’ orchestra at Auschwitz - where some of Fry’s relatives died. What will she think of his passion for Hitler’s favorite artist?
Animated by Fry’s trademark wit and intelligence and featuring a soundtrack of Wagner’s extraordinary music, “Wagner & Me” is a provocative yet enjoyable exploration of the life and legacy of one of history’s great geniuses.