Wagner the Mystic

(The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.) The author, a life-long student of philosophy and founding member of the Washington Wagner Society, explores the kinship between religious mysticism and the transformative experience of listing to Wagner’s music. Delving into Wagner’s writings and methods, Pohanka traces influences on Wagner’s thoughts and explores the recurring motifs of mysticism that permeate the operas, including the wonder of becoming one with the universal, the falling away of time and space, the paradox of finding oneself only through losing oneself, and salvation through transcendence. Pohanka is a trustee and past chairman of Washington National Opera.