Thursday 21 November 2013

Wagner vs Verdi: Who was the greatest composer?

Now this is fascinating, especially if you have at least two hours to enjoy it properly. (Go on, you know you’re going to need to YouTube when it finishes.)

It’s a debate over the merits of history’s two greatest opera composers, both of whom have their 200th anniversaries celebrated this year, held in the Paul Hamlyn Hall at Covent Garden—otherwise known as “the bar,” i.e., exactly the place where all good debates should be held.

Enjoy.

[Hat tip Russell W. And I think by now you might have some notion of which one I think should be the winner…)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Spoiler Alert. We know Wagner didn't win- the debate only lasted two hours :-)

insider

Peter Cresswell said...

< rimshot >

alwyn said...

I am a very old-fashioned music lover. If you had called it a debate over the greatest nineteenth century opera composer I could accept it. When however you talk about history's greatest opera composer the answer has to be neither. Mozart still rules.
ps I like the anonymous comment preceding this. Bravo