Richard Wagner (1813–1883 Germany) developed a new vision of opera—what he called “Gesamtkunstwerk” (total work of art), blending music, drama, poetry, stage design, and philosophy into one unified experience.

Wagner's breakthrough came with operas like Rienzi (1842) and The Flying Dutchman (1843) Later works, including Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, which made Wagner famous across Europe. However his greatest project was Der Ring des Nibelungen, which took over two decades to compose. Other late masterpieces include Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal