Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, and theatre director who is widely considered to be one of the most influential figures in classical music. His oeuvres include a number of operas, which are musical dramas that are typically composed in four or five acts and are usually sung throughout with orchestral accompaniment. Wagner's operas are some of the most famous in the world, including 'The Flying Dutchman, ' 'Tannhäuser, ' 'Lohengrin, ' 'The Ring of the Nibelung, ' and 'Parsifal.'