Wagner: Life and Times
Exploring the influential and controversial life of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner is known today as one of the greatest, most influential composers to have lived. But his life, anything but easy and straightforward, was as tumultuous as the age he was born into. Join us for a three-episode look at the sometimes turbulent, often unrestrained, but always inspired life that shaped the man.
Vancouver Opera presents The Flying Dutchman — April 29th to May 7th, 2023, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca
Wagner: Life and Times — Act 1
Wagner: Life and Times — Act 2
Wagner: Life and Times — 15 Strange and Surprising Discoveries About Herr Wagner
You can also download the podcast on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Wagner: Life and Times — Act 1
Richard Wagner is known today as one of the greatest, most influential composers to have lived. But his life, anything but easy and straightforward, was as tumultuous as the age he was born into. Join us for a three-episode look at the sometimes turbulent, often unrestrained, but always inspired life that shaped the man.
It’s May 22nd, 1813, in Leipzig, in the Prussian state of Saxony, in what we know now to be Germany.
In six months, Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French General, would be soundly defeated in the Battle of Leipzig by the Sixth Coalition Forces and two years later, permanently exiled following his defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo.
In England, Jane Austen had just published her second novel, Pride and Prejudice, to great critical acclaim.
Across the Atlantic, the War of 1812 raged between British and American forces jostling for power and land in North America.
And in an unassuming house in the Jewish Quarter of Leipzig, Wilhelm Richard Wagner is born, the ninth child to his parents Carl Friedrich Wagner and Johanna Rosine.
Wagner, musical genius and ground-breaking composer, antisemitic sympathizer, and ardent polemicist, was indeed a child of the zeitgeist, born at the crossroads of turbulent times that saw the push for progress and power, and the age of German Romanticism, which was itself a revolt against reason and industrialization.
Wagner’s childhood was spent in Dresden and included little in the way of formal music training. However, exposure to theatre and opera in those early years impacted Wagner, who wrote later in his autobiography that seeing the opera Der Freischütz, by the great German Romantic composer Carl Maria von Weber, at the tender age of 9, made an enormous impression on him. From his front window as a young boy, Wagner would watch von Weber walk home from the theatre observing:
“Even the bad limp with which he walked, and which I often noticed from our windows when the master was making his way home past our house from the fatiguing rehearsals, stamped the great musician in my imagination as an exceptional and almost superhuman being.”
Upon the family’s return to Leipzig in 1827, 13-year-old Wagner wrote a full-length drama, Leubald, in the style of a Shakespearean tragedy. Possessing the desire to set it to music, but lacking the training, Wagner finally began his musical training in earnest.
By 1831, Wager was enrolled as a student at Leipzig University where, when not becoming riotously drunk with his fellow students, he studied music under the composer Weinlig, who also counted among his students the great pianist, Clara Schumann, wife of German Romantic composer Robert Schumann. Weinlig was so impressed with Wagner’s musical abilities that he refused to accept payment for his lessons. It was during this period that Wagner composed his first pieces of music including a piano sonata and symphony, both of which were highly influenced by Beethoven, whom Wagner revered, like many composers of his day.
By now, it was clear that Wagner would make a career of composing. In 1833, he took a position as Choirmaster in the city of Würzburg. The German romantic movement valued mystery and the supernatural, and Wagner was influenced by both of these elements when he wrote his first Opera Die Feen “The Fairies”. Unfortunately, he would never see it onstage as it was not produced until after his death.
Another of Wagner’s influences was Shakespeare and it was after his return to Leipzig in 1834 that he composed Die Liebesverbot, The Ban on Love, based on Shakespeare’s comedy, Measure for Measure. Unfortunately, the production was a failure and Wagner faced his first brush with bankruptcy, a problem that would plague him in one form or another for the rest of his life.
Wagner also had his first brush with love and in 1836 married Minna Planer, a well-known singer and actress. Theirs was a tempestuous marriage and it wasn’t long before she left Wagner for another man.
In search of gainful employment, Wagner moved to Riga, then part of the Russian Empire, becoming the conductor at the German Theatre in Riga.
Minna eventually joined Wagner in Riga, but it wasn’t long before the couple again faced mounting debt and were forced to flee the city to escape their creditors, this time by a harrowing journey involving secret border crossings on foot, and a stormy voyage from Riga to London, along the Norwegian coast.
Staying long enough in London only to begin writing Der fliegende Holländer, or The Flying Dutchman, which was undoubtedly highly influenced by his recent experience at sea, the Wagners soon settled in Paris where he eventually finished the libretto.
Still in debt and with no real income, Wagner took an offer from the Paris Opera to buy the libretto and stage the opera using a score written by an unknown musician. The production was poorly received and Wagner, distressed by the failure, set himself the task of composing the score himself, hiring a piano as a first step:
“I had now to work post-haste to clothe my own subject with German verses. In order to set about its composition, I required to hire a pianoforte… As soon as the piano had arrived, my heart beat fast for very fear; I dreaded to discover that I had ceased to be a musician. I began first with the ‘Sailors’ Chorus’ and the ‘Spinning Song.’ Everything sped along as on wings, and I shouted for joy as I felt within me that I was still a musician.”
Wagner was indeed still a musician; his pursuit of this career necessitated another move in 1842, this time a return to Germany, to the city of Dresden where they lived for the next six years with Wagner eventually finding employment as conductor to the Royal Saxon Court. It was in Dresden, in 1843, that The Flying Dutchman was finally staged for the first time. Later, Wagner wrote of the production:
“From here begins my career as poet, and my farewell to the mere concoctor of opera-texts.”
However, controversy again caught up with him again when he became involved in left-leaning political activism, eventually earning a warrant for his arrest. Once again, the Wagners had to flee and this time, it was to Zürich.
Wagner spent the next twelve years in exile from Germany, the first nine of which were spent in Zürich. This was a period of great creative and philosophical endeavour for Wagner. Zürich, less a grand city of culture, was more inclined to honour their craftsmen and guilds. During these years Wagner became a prolific essayist, penning his infamous antisemitic work Judaism in Music among other similar pieces. It was also during this time that he wrote most of the librettos for the four operas that comprise The Ring Cycle.
Wagner’s personal life did not escape controversy. After several dalliances outside his marriage, his relationship with Minna finally broke down in 1858 and Wagner found himself on the run once again: this time for Venice, and then again, to Paris.
While in Paris, Wagner oversaw the production of his opera Tannhäuser. The production was deemed a disaster owing to Wagner’s insistence on moving the required ballet feature from the second act, to the first, sparking outrage among members of Paris society.
Also in attendance was the famous French poet Charles Baudelaire, who was very taken with Wagner’s work, writing:
“It seemed to me that I knew this new music, and later, on thinking it over, I understood whence came this mirage; it seemed to me that this music was mine, and I recognized it in the way that any man recognizes the things he is destined to love!”
However, not even such a favourable review could save Wagner and he left Paris, this time again to return to Germany, where his second period of exile had finally been lifted.
End of Act 1.
Wagner: Life and Times — Act 2
Join us now for the second half of our exploration of the life and times of Richard Wagner. When we left him at the end of episode one, Wagner and his wife, Minna, had just returned to Germany following 12 years in exile.
It’s 1862, and Wagner has made a new home for himself in Biebrich, Germany. In Prussian politics, King Wilhelm I would appoint Otto von Bismark as Prime Minister that year: a master stroke in power and politics as it was von Bismark who oversaw German unification in less than 10 years.
Next door in France, 1862 saw the birth of French composer Claude Debussy, and across the channel, in England, Charles Dodgson, whom you and I know better as Lewis Carrol, wrote the first draft of Alice in Wonderland.
Wagner, once again financially strapped and plagued by personal problems, spent much of the next three years in Germany attempting the staging of his opera Tristan und Isolde out of the country in Vienna. Unfortunately, he was not successful, with some proclaiming the opera ‘unsingable’ and ‘unperformable’, even after 70 plus rehearsals.
Faced with growing bills, and decreasing resources, Wagner’s desperation was mounting. But by 1864, his fortunes turned when King Ludwig II of Bavaria, newly crowned at age 18, became a fervent admirer, and declared himself, deus ex machina-style, patron to Wagner, agreeing to bankroll performances of Tristan und Isolde, The Ring Cycle, and others, as well as paying off Wagners’ debtors who were, again, knocking at the door.
Of his relationship with the young king, Wagner wrote:
“The dangerous road along which fate beckoned me to such great ends was not destined to be clear of troubles and anxieties of a kind unknown to me heretofore, but I was never again to feel the weight of the everyday hardships of existence under the protection of my exalted friend.”
By some reports, the young king was enamoured with Wagner, and even declared his love for him. Wagner, meanwhile, was managing his own love interests by falling for the wife of the conductor of Tristan and Isolde. Cosima Liszt, daughter of the noted Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, was 24 years younger than Wagner, but that didn’t stop him from fathering an illegitimate daughter with her.
Tristan und Isolde was finally staged in Munich, in June of 1865, but was quickly overshadowed by the scandal of Wagner’s relationship with Cosima. Not even Wagner’s good fortunes with King Ludwig could save him and in December of 1865, the King was forced to ask Wagner to leave Munich. Rumour has it the King considered leaving Munich with Wagner, but came to his senses, and instead installed Wagner and his new family in a villa on the shores of Lake Lucerne.
Here the Wagner family continues to grow with Cosima giving birth to two more children: a daughter Ava and a son, Siegfried. It was during these years that Wagner completed more of his famous work: The Ring Cycle. Unfortunately, he also turned his attentions back to essay writing and republished his work Judaism in Music, this time under his own name rather than a pseudonym as he had done the first time. It was this concerted effort by Wagner to cement his views that informs our modern-day understanding of his antisemitism. It was likely that many of his contemporaries held similar views, given that antisemitism was on the rise in the German state, but they chose not to express them publicly.
In 1871, the Wagners moved their young family to the German town of Bayreuth so Wagner could pursue his dream of building his own Opera House. Of course, finances were again an issue, and King Ludwig had declined to provide financial support for the project. Wagner was on his own, raising funds as a touring as a conductor and through ‘Wagner Societies’, local organizations designed to raise funds to support Wagner’s efforts. These societies, all 147 of them, still exist today as non-profits designed to promote Wagner’s music, support young musicians, and provide financial assistance to the annual Bayreuth Festival.
By 1874, with the project on its last legs, the King finally relented and loaned Wagner the remaining funds. The Festival House was completed in 1876 and the first Bayreuth Festival finally saw the staging of The Ring Cycle in its entirety, just as Wagner had envisioned. A total work of art, or Gesamtkunstwerk.
Many of Europe’s Artistic and cultural brass were in attendance at the festival including the composers Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns, as well as world leaders such as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, and Kaiser Wilhelm I, Emperor of Prussia. Wagner had indeed, arrived.
However, building the festival house and staging The Ring Cycle, had taken its toll on Wagner who declared to Cosima:
“Each stone is red with my blood and yours.”
While artistically a success, the festival had lost money, and Wagner again found himself working for income mainly as a conductor, or by taking commissions.
Between 1876 and 1881, Wagner spent much of his time in Italy due to poor health. It was during this time that he started and completed what was to be his final opera, Parsifal. King Ludwig of Bavaria again came to his financial assistance in staging the opera, which premiered in May of 1882 at the Bayreuth Opera House, for 16 performances. Although suffering greatly from bouts of angina, Wagner still managed to conduct the last act of the opera, on the night of its final performance.
This was also to be one of Wagner’s last acts: after spending the winter in Venice with his family, Wagner died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883, at age 69. His body was transported back to Bayreuth, where he was buried in the garden of his family home.
Wagner’s legacy lived on in Bayreuth, and in opera houses around the world. Wagner’s wife Cosima continued to promote both his music, and his antisemitic views, long after his death until her own death in 1930. Their children took up the banner, promoting the Bayreuth Festival, and even befriending Adolph Hitler and members of the Nazi party.
Today, Wagner’s great-granddaughter, Nike Wagner, has this to say on the legacy of her great-grandfather’s work:
“Yes, the composer…was an anti-Semite and probably would have liked to burn down Paris. Wagner remains a moral problem. Nevertheless, today no one listens to Wagner from an ‘ideological’ perspective anymore. That’s why we must allow the work to be separated from the character of its 200-year-old creator. Antisemitism clearly cannot be proven in his works.”
Perhaps Wagner himself said it best about the timeless quality of his life’s work, and controversies:
“It is a truth forever, that where the speech of man stops short, there music’s reign begins.”
End of Act 2.
Wagner: Life and Times — Act 3
The Wagner Zeitgeist: 15 Facts About Opera’s Greatest Composer
Richard Wagner wasn’t just opera’s colossus. Our top-15 List of Things You Didn’t know About Richard Wagner takes you behind the scenes of the life of one of Germany’s most famous exports.
15. Wagner as a child displayed little musical talent. He struggled to play simple scales, much preferring to play by ear. His first piano teacher even went so far as to say that nothing would ever come of him: In his autobiography, Wagner wrote:
“Of course, the man was right… In all my life I have never learned to play the piano properly. Thenceforth I played for my own amusement; nothing but overtures with the most fearful fingering. It was impossible for me to play a passage clearly, and I conceived a great dread of all scales and runs.”
Eventually none of this mattered, as Wagner is known today as one of the greatest composers to have ever lived.
14. As a child, Wagner spent time in the German town of Eisleben, also known as the home of Martin Luther. But it wasn’t the legacy of Luther’s theologian teachings that Wagner recalls from his time there, but more the theatre and acrobatic troupes that frequented the town square. Wagner later recalled:
“I was often entertained by strange sights, such, for instance, as performances by a troupe of acrobats, in which a man walked a rope stretched from tower to tower across the square, an achievement which long inspired me with a passion for such feats of daring. Indeed, I got so far as to walk a rope fairly easily myself with the help of a balancing-pole…even now I still feel a desire to gratify my acrobatic instincts.”
Who knew?
13. Two months before the Dresden premiere of Der fliegende Holländer, The Flying Dutchman, Wagner changed the location from Scotland to Norway, necessitating a complete change of all the character names and attributes, props, sets and costumes to reflect the stark Norwegian coast rather than the, well, bleak Scottish coast. On top of these changes, the cast had to learn new place names, and Norwegian rather than Scottish pronunciation of lyrics. It seems Wagner’s own journey smuggled aboard a ship making a stormy passage from Riga to London along the Norwegian coast informed greatly his interpretation of the story, recalling later:
“The voyage through the Norwegian reefs, made a wonderful impression on my imagination; the legend of the Flying Dutchman, which the sailors verified, took on a distinctive, strange colouring that only my sea adventure could have given it.”
12. One of Wagner’s most enduring legacies is his extensive use of the Leitmotif, or “lead motive” whereby characters or settings in his operas were assigned a recurring musical theme. This tradition, originally introduced by Mozart, but popularized by Wagner, is used today extensively in film and television. Award -winning composer John Williams relied heavily on the use of the leitmotif when composing the score for Star Wars, especially the iconic music associated with Darth Vader and his Imperial Forces which is itself highly reminiscent of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.
11. Wagner developed an approach to composing known as ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ or “total work of art” in which he took control of all aspects of the creative work including music, lyrics, stage directions, props, dance, costumes, and settings. All elements would come together as one — a unification of all art — on one stage.
This philosophy of a “total work of art” combined with principles of German Romanticism, mirrored many of the founding principles of German Nationalism and unification, of which Wagner was a proponent. Some say it was also foundational in the development of film, as a storytelling medium.
“…the sea between the headlands must be seen to rage and foam as much as possible; the representation of the ship cannot be too naturalistic: little touches, such as the heaving of the ship when struck by an exceptionally strong wave…must be very clearly portrayed. The constant subtle changes in lighting demand special care…”
10. Lover of Animals: A lover of animals, Wagner owned many dogs, including a 160-pound Newfoundlander named Robber which made the month-long voyage from Riga to London with Wagner and his wife Minna. Later in their marriage they acquired a pet parrot, Papo. Wagner writes:
“Papo, after repeatedly calling out ‘Richard’ in vain, would often come fluttering into my study if I stayed away from the sitting-room too long. He would then settle down on my desk and vigorously shuffle about the papers and pens… As soon as he heard my step on the staircase, he would begin whistling a tune, as, for instance, the great march in the finale of the Symphony in C minor, the beginning of the Eighth Symphony in F major, or even a bright bit out of the Rienzi Overture.”
9. Wagner’s first wife, Minna Planer, was an accomplished vocalist and supported Wagner for much of the early years of their marriage. His second wife, Cosima, the daughter of Franz Liszt, was a well-known and accomplished composer and musician in her own right. This was the case for many wives and relatives of famous composers. Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Maria Mozart, and even Anna Magdalena Bach, who some contend, was responsible for composing, or at the very least, collaborating with, her husband Johann Sebastian Bach on some of his most famous works.
8. Wagner revolutionized how audiences experienced music in the theatre. When Wagner worked in Riga as conductor of the Riga German Theatre, he became the first conductor to turn and face the musicians, rather than face the audience, as was the tradition at the time. Later in his life he had a special theatre built in Bayreuth, Germany, to stage performances of his works. It was here that he introduced the concept of darkening the theatre lights, and placing the orchestra in a pit, out of sight of the audience. Rumour has it, you’ll want to bring your own pillow if you attend a performance at the Bayreuth Opera House as Wagner didn’t believe in making the space comfortable for the audience. Air circulation was deemed bad for sound quality, and decor and luxuries like stall seating were thought to be unnecessary to the enjoyment of the art form, even if it did last 18 hours.
7. Known as one of the most challenging and rewarding operas ever written, Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, or The Ring Cycle took 26 years to write, is in four parts, and takes 15 to 18 hours over four nights to complete. Based on German and Norse mythology, the story revolves around a magic ring, gods and heroes, magical creatures, and the eternal battle between the forces of good and evil. And if you’re wondering, J.R.R. Tolkien states he did not steal the plot of The Lord of the Rings from Wagner, claiming that:
“Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases.”
Fans of both may have cause to argue this point, but for now, we’ll take his word for it.
6. Wagner’s reach forward through time extends as far as SpongeBob SquarePants where the character of an irascible poltergeist known as The Flying Dutchman can be found, glowing green, haunting the ocean aboard his ghostly ship, and collecting souls, never to find peace. At one point, the Flying Dutchman opens a giant zipper behind which Hell exists, a plot device as yet unseen in modern stage adaptations of The Flying Dutchman.
5. Wagner’s music was a favourite of Adolf Hitler, and, as early as 1924, Hitler proclaimed that his vision of Germany was shaped by the influence of Wagner and his music. Hitler also became friends with Wagner’s children, including his daughter-in-law, Winifred. After he became Chancellor of Germany, the national love for Wagner’s music took on cult-like proportions, and it was not uncommon to hear Wagner’s music playing at Nazi party events.
4. As a young professor of philosophy at Basel university, Friedrich Nietzsche was an admirer of Wagner’s works, and often attended performances. An accomplished pianist Nietzsche taught himself the piano score to Tristan und Isolde, declaring it “The music of the future.” Wagner’s artistic brilliance struck a chord with the young Nietzsche, who believed the pursuit of art gave meaning to miserable human existence. Their friendship lasted many years until Nietzsche began to tire of the “Cult of Wagner”, eventually writing several essays critical of Wagner’s nihilism, antisemitism, and Christian themes in his operas, and reflective of his fascination with Wagner:
“All things considered; I could never have survived my youth without Wagnerian music. For I seemed condemned to the society of Germans. If a man wishes to rid himself of a feeling of unbearable oppression, he may have to take to hashish. Well, I had to take to Wagner…I now regard my having been a Wagnerian as eccentric…it was the most severe test of my character.”
3. From 1849 to 1859, Wagner lived in Switzerland while exiled from Germany for his part in the socialist uprisings in Dresden. His time in Zürich was prolific and many works were begun or completed including his opera Lohengrin, and his controversial and openly antisemitic essay Judaism in Music. But it was also during this time that Wagner developed an interest in Buddhism and its teachings. Many of the concepts of Buddhism, particularly that desire is the root of suffering, and that suffering can only be overcome when desire is vanquished, informed some of Wagner’s best-known works, including Parsifal, and Tristan und Isolde.
2. It is common today in Israel to find musical directors observing an informal ban on Wagner’s music. In 2001, Jewish Conductor Daniel Barenboim was attending a press conference in Jerusalem when he heard a ringtone playing Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. At a performance a few nights later, Barenboim surprised the audience by and asking if anyone wanted to hear Wagner. After a 30-minute debate, during which some audience members left in protest, Barenboim proceeded with a piece from Tristan und Isolde. As Barenboim said, if Wagner can be played on a cellphone in Israel, why not a concert hall? The debate over whether or not there is a place for Wagner’s music in opera houses around the world continues today with many asking the question: can we separate the man from his music?
- It has often been said that only Jesus, Napoleon, and Hitler have had more written about them than Wagner. Both revered and reviled, there is no question Wagner’s musical brilliance and controversial writings have lasted through time; and continue both to inspire and enrage those who engage with his lifetime’s work today.
As Wagner said:
“Only the Strong know Love; only Love can fathom Beauty; only Beauty can fashion Art.”
Join us April 29 — May 7 for Vancouver Opera’s production of Der fliegende Holländer, The Flying Dutchman, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and experience the magnitude and breadth of Wagner yourself. For tickets and more information visit VancouverOpera.ca
Credits:
Jane Potter — Writer and Narrator
Jane Potter holds an MA in Critical and Creative writing from the University of Gloucestershire, and loves telling stories in all forms: She lives in Victoria, and when she isn’t busy reading and writing, she can be found running a small business, baking in the kitchen, or weeding the garden.
David Bloom — Voice of Richard Wagner, Charles Baudelaire, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Friedrich Nietzsche
David Bloom is an actor, playwright, director, dramaturge, and fight choreographer. He has taught programs including stage combat, improvisation, Shakespeare, scene study, and new play creation at universities and art institutions throughout British Columbia.
Ashley Daniel Foot — Narrator and Producer
Ashley Daniel Foot is Vancouver Opera’s Senior Manager of Patnerships, Engaement, and EDI.
Mack McGillivray — Audio Editor
