Let me remind you that I've heard only a little bit of the opera. I admit the subject matter is repugnant to me. On the basis of the subject matter, I tend to think of the work as "fascist", which is the least justifiable ground. I shouldn't judge on the basis of the text. This should have been said before, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. I wouldn't want to suggest that there is some kind of divorce between the subject matter of a Mass and the music that sets it, or of the subject matter of Parsifal and its music. However, the subject matter (I'm referring to the actual text: the words, in short) is the least significant factor in judging the character and value of the work. It is the music itself that is most revealing.
Everybody's comments on this subject have been very interesting, but I am very conscious of intruding with a subject that is off-base for this list, so I won't perpetuate the thread. I just hope that when some people look scornfully at Wagner-lovers, they will remember the last time they listened to the Rolling Stones, or whomever, and think twice.
Daniel