Happy Birthday to German composer, Richard Wagner, born in 1813.
Known for his vignette operas such as Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and Der Ring des Nibelungen (a.k.a. The Ring Cycle).
One of my favorite memories at Eastman School of Music was when my composition teacher, Christopher Rouse, asked me to listen to the entire Ring Cycle (16 hours) over the course of two weeks to discuss as part of my studies.
So with that in mind, grab a nice glass of German Riesling and cuddle up to four hours of Wagner opera tonight.