Non-Operatic Wagner
Richard Wagner is most well known for his operas. The “canonical” ones (from Der fliegende Holländer to Parsifal) are standard repertoire across the world. The three earliest ones - Die Feen, Das Liebesverbot, and Rienzi - are much less known, and, forgive the arrogance, for good reason.
I’d like to point to some non-operatic works that deserve to be known. Any staunch Wagnerian will get to these sooner or later, but they’re also interesting for casual admirers of the operas.
Wagner wrote the Wesendonck-Lieder song cycle while working on Tristan. They’re based on lyrics by poet Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of one of Wagner’s donors in Zurich. It’s interesting to listen to the songs scanning for traces of Tristan motif material. The songs were originally written for piano and voice, but for richer colours, here’s a performance of the orchestral version.
At the age of 19, Wagner wrote his only completed Symphony in C major. This is a more traditional work, clearly inspired by Beethoven. While the maturity of the latter operas is missing, it is again interesting to listen for traces of the future Wagner. Voilà.
Das Liebesmahl der Apostel is a piece for male chorus and orchestra. Being a singer, I find this one very interesting, of course. It’s a bit strange that the orchestra is only needed in the final third of the piece, but it certainly helps building up the atmosphere. Have a listen.
Tags: music