Opera through Varying Theological Lenses

Although a great deal of scholarly attention has been devoted to Richard Wagner and his renowned works since the nineteenth century, and considerable attention has been given to Christian interpretations of them from continental European perspectives, many theological perspectives on the man and his...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hale, Frederick (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2015
In: Religion & theology
Year: 2015, Volume: 22, Issue: 3/4, Pages: 301-327
RelBib Classification:CB Christian life; spirituality
CD Christianity and Culture
KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history
KBB German language area
KBF British Isles
Further subjects:B Richard Wagner Parsival British Nonconformists Fabian Society spiritual regeneration
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Although a great deal of scholarly attention has been devoted to Richard Wagner and his renowned works since the nineteenth century, and considerable attention has been given to Christian interpretations of them from continental European perspectives, many theological perspectives on the man and his operas in the English-speaking world have remained unilluminated. The present article seeks to redress aspects of that neglect by examining how two theologically educated British Nonconformists, namely P.T. Forsyth and Ramsden Balmforth (the latter of whose ministerial career was in Cape Town from 1897 until 1937) understood Wagner’s opera about the Holy Grail, Parsifal. It is argued that Forsyth’s interpretation was informed in large measure by his evolving understanding of the meaning of the Atonement and redemption, while Balmforth’s was shaped to a considerable degree by his Fabian socialism.
ISSN:1574-3012
Contains:In: Religion & theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15743012-02203008