Germany is celebrating the 200th anniversary of one of its great composers

A monument to Richard Wagner will be unveiled today in the composer’s birthplace of Leipzig.

Wagner’s name conjures up conflicting emotions. While his compositions are hailed as sublime works of art that belong to the core canon of Western culture ….. his racism and anti-Semitism have linked him with the regime of his admirer Adolph Hitler.

The monument by German artist Stephan Balkenhol shows a young Wagner overshadowed by his older, famous self.

Some of Wagner’s works will be performed later today in Bayreuth, home to an annual music festival run by the Richard Wagner Foundation.