Christmas 1870 – A Special Birthday Gift
Richard Wagner’s wife Cosima was born on Christmas Eve 1837 but she usually celebrated it on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day 1870, only a few months after their long-awaited marriage (25 August 1870 in Lucerne), Wagner decided to give his wife a very special birthday gift.
With prior rehearsals all done in secret, he conducted the premiere of The Siegfried Idyll in a private performance at the Villa Tribschen in Lucerne where they were staying.
It was not a large orchestral line up but Wagner ensured that the musicians were of the highest quality. They included Hans Richter playing trumpet and about a dozen or so other instrumentalists from the Tonhalle Orchester in Zürich.
It was effectively a double celebration – Cosima’s 33rd birthday and their joy in finally being an ‘official’ family including the children they already had together, including their young son Siegfried born just the year before.
Christmas 1882 – A Farewell Performance
It was on Christmas Eve, 1882 that Richard Wagner conducted for the very last time. The concert, once again, was a private one in celebration of his wife Cosima’s birthday. It took place at the Sale Apollinee of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy. Alongside his wife Cosima in the audience were their children and Cosima’s father Franz Liszt.
Due to his failing health, Wagner was unable to conduct the entire performance and his student Engelbert Humperdinck was handed the baton to complete the concert.
Just 51 days later Richard Wagner died whilst still in Venice (afternoon of 13 February 1883) at the Ca’ Loredan Vendramin Calergi. Today, the building houses the Richard Wagner Museum where many original documents relating to Wagner’s final winter in Venice can be seen. These include a number of scores and letters. More information can be found on the Visit Venezia website here.
