I’m going to let you in on a secret: half the people sitting in the audience at a Wagner opera are also confused. They’re just better at hiding it. So if you’ve been curious about Wagner but felt like you needed a PhD in Germanic mythology and a bladder the size of a watermelon, this one’s for you.

Richard Wagner is, depending on who you ask, the greatest opera composer who ever lived or the most self-indulgent egomaniac in music history. He’s both, actually. And his operas are extraordinary.

Start here, not there

The biggest mistake people make is thinking they should start with the Ring Cycle. That’s like saying you’ll get into running by entering an ultramarathon. The Ring Cycle is four operas performed over four evenings totalling about 15 hours of music. It’s magnificent, but it’s not where you begin.

Instead, start with The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer). It’s relatively short by Wagner standards — about two and a half hours — and the story is straightforward. A cursed sailor can only be redeemed by a woman’s faithful love. It’s moody, dramatic, and the music is immediately gripping. You don’t need a mythology degree.

If you enjoy that, try Tannhäuser next. It’s about a medieval knight torn between sacred and profane love, and it contains some of the most gorgeous choral writing you’ll ever hear. I sang in the chorus for a production in 2014 and still get chills thinking about the Pilgrims’ Chorus.

The length thing

Yes, Wagner operas are long. Parsifal runs about four and a half hours. Die Meistersinger can push five. The Ring Cycle, as mentioned, is a commitment measured in days.

But here’s what nobody tells beginners: Wagner’s pacing is actually quite natural once you surrender to it. He wasn’t padding things out. He was building musical and dramatic structures that need time to unfold. Think of it less like a film and more like a long novel — you settle in, the world wraps around you, and time works differently.

Practical advice: eat beforehand. There are intervals. Bring a water bottle. Don’t sit in the cheap seats for your first time if you can avoid it — comfort matters when you’re in for the long haul.

Leitmotifs: Your secret weapon

Wagner used recurring musical themes — called leitmotifs — to represent characters, objects, emotions, and ideas. Once you start recognising them, it’s like having subtitles made of music.

For example, in the Ring Cycle, there’s a theme for the ring itself, one for the sword, one for the Rhinemaidens, one for Valhalla. When you hear Siegfried’s horn call, you know exactly who’s coming before they appear on stage.

You don’t need to memorise all of them before your first performance. But listening to a leitmotif guide on YouTube beforehand can genuinely transform the experience. The Opera Australia learning resources are a good starting point.

The problematic bits

I’d be a terrible guide if I didn’t mention this: Wagner was a raging antisemite. His essay “Jewishness in Music” is repulsive. His music was later co-opted by the Nazi regime. This history is real and it matters.

It’s also true that his operas — the actual dramatic works — are not straightforwardly antisemitic in the way his prose writings are, though scholars debate whether certain characters carry coded prejudice. You can engage with Wagner’s art while being clear-eyed about who he was. Most serious opera lovers do.

My recommended listening path

Here’s a five-step progression from “Wagner-curious” to “fully converted”:

1. The Flying Dutchman Overture — 11 minutes of drama. Start here.
2. “Dich, teure Halle” from Tannhäuser — Elisabeth’s aria. Pure joy.
3. Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin — ethereal, shimmering, otherworldly.
4. “Ride of the Valkyries” — yes, the one from the films. It’s still thrilling.
5. Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde — the most devastating piece of music ever written. I will not argue about this.

Come to a performance

Recordings are great for homework, but Wagner was writing for the theatre. The physical experience of sitting in a darkened house while that orchestra swells beneath you — there’s nothing like it. Opera Australia programmes Wagner regularly, and companies like Melbourne Opera have done excellent productions too.

Don’t overthink it. You don’t need to know everything. You just need to show up and let the music do what Wagner designed it to do: overwhelm you.

You’ll either love it or you won’t. But at least you’ll know.