Paired together in a single, affordable volume, these
disparate works reflect two different sides of Wagner's
compositional mastery. Aside
from his operatic works, Wagner wrote relatively little musica
single symphony, some overtures, and a few choral and piano works.
Of these, the Siegfried
Idyll is the most
frequently performed. Although not part of the Ring cycle, the Idyll draws upon several of the
Ring's motifs. Written for the birthday of Wagner's wife, Cosima, it
was never intended for public performance but financial difficulties
forced the composer into publication. "The secret treasure is to
become public property," Cosima noted in her diary, and audiences
have been the happier for it. With
Wagner's Faust Overture, the nineteenth century's
preeminent German opera composer took on the most discussed and
written about work by Germany's most revered poet. Inspired by
Wagner's attendance at a performance of Berlioz's Romeo
and Juliet, the
original composition dates from 1844 and depicts Faust in utter
despair. In 1855, Wagner reworked the piece, providing a more
hopeful and consoling ending.
Unabridged
republication of an early authoritative
edition. |
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