Liturgy, Wagner and the Heresy of Art-Religion

Boston is a uniquely Wagnerian city. The Swan Boats that return every Spring to the Public Garden were designed in 1877 by Robert Paget, who was inspired by the swans in Lohengrin. Isabella Stewart Gardner, a great patron of the arts and a parishioner of Church of the Advent, was a genuine Wagner nut who made frequent pilgrimages to Bayreuth. The Gardner museum actually houses several pieces of Wagner memorabilia, including a first edition libretto for Parsifal, sketches for set designs of Meistersinger,