Richard Wagner (1813-1893) was one of
Germany's greatest composers. He wrote the largest work in musical history. He influences
19th century music, especially opera, making his with the introduction of the
'Leitmotiv'. It is a recurring theme that depicts characters and their emotions
in rich orchestral passages.
'The Marriage' was Wagner's first
opera in 1932 which he destroyed later.
1834 he wrote an opera 'The Fairies'.
Wagner worked as a chorus master and conductor gained enormous operatic
techniques. He wrote the 'Flying Dutchman' in 1841, then 'Tannhaeuser' 1842-5
and 'Lohengrin' 1846-8 and gained great recognition.
He wrote the 'Ring of the
Nibelungen', which are made up of four operas, from 1852 till 1874 telling of a
Teutonic legend. The four operas are 'The Rhine Gold', 'The Vakyrie',
'Siegfried' and 'The Twilight of the Gods'. Wagner achieved his greatest
ambition and became world famous.
Wagner lived all the time in great
poverty. To avoid creditors he moved from Dresden to Weimar to Vienna to
Stuttgart. There he met King Ludwig II and the patronage of the king saved
Wagner. Ludwig also encouraged the production of 'Tristan and Isolde' in 1865.
When the Bavarian government demanded
that Wagner left King Ludwig because of all the expenses, Wagner moved to
Switzerland. His second wife was the daughter of Franz Liszt, Cosima von
Buelow. They began to raise fund for Wagner to fulfil his dreams of having a theatre
of his own to perform his operas.
Richard Wagner came to Bayreuth in
1872. After a lie long struggle his dream came true and on 22nd May 1872 the
building of his own theatre began on a hill north of Bayreuth. When it was
finished Wagner was able to perform his operas without limitations and
restrictions which he found in other theatres. On the opening Wagner said,
"Here where my delusions have found peace, let this place be named
Wahnfried". King Ludwig of Bavaria contributed 25,000 Thaler and the
building was finished in 1874. There was the performance of the full Nibelungen
cycle which the king attended.
Wagner wrote another opera 'Parcifal'
in 1882 which is a sacred festival drama. Wagner died the year after in 1883 in
Venice. He was brought back to Bayreuth and when Cosima died, she was buried
alongside him.
1896 Sigfried Wagner, their son,
continued his father work. He also built an extension to Wahnfried. After
Sigfried's death his widow turned it into a guest house where amongst famous
people also Arturo Toscanini and Richard Strauss stayed.
During the Second World War a bomb
hit Wahnfried and apart from the front was completely destroyed. Luckily
Richard Wagner's library was saved because they moved it two weeks before.
Winifried Wagner handed the
responsibility of directorship of the Festival to his sons Wieland and Wolfgang
when it started again in 1951.
1973 A Richard Wagner Foundation was
set-up. The Wagner family gave the Festspielhaus and Archives to the
foundation. Wahnfriedhouse was given to the town of Bayreuth.
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| THE GRAVE OF RICHARD AND COSIMA WAGNER IN THE GARDEN OF THEIR VILLA WAHNFRIED IN BAYREUT |
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