The Birth of Tragedy

Passionate about the Music of Richard Wagner, the philosophy of Schopenhauer, and Greek tragedy, he conflated all three topics to get to the roots of music through ancient Greek tragedy. The main theme is the opposition of the gods Apollo and Dionysus, as representatives of order and chaos, respectively. Through reason and the primordial human instincts, he was convinced the rapt of music, ecstasies, and the sublime could be perceived.