WILHELM RICHARD WAGNER

German opera composer. Author opera "The Flying Dutchman" (1840-1841), "Tannhauser, and competition of singers in the Wartburg" (1843-1845), "Lohengrin" (1848), "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (1848-1874), "Tristan und Isolde" (1857 -1859), "Parsifal" (1877-1882) and others founded the Opera "Festshpilhauz. " World recognized masterpiece tetralogy "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (1876). Led the Dresden Opera House (1842-1848).

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813. Total family had nine children but two died at an early age. His father died in the year of birth of Richard. At the request of his father, a passionate theater, the eldest daughter Rosalia became an actress: in 16 years, she made her debut at the Leipzig theater, and another daughter, Louise, with ten years appeared on stage and also devoted himself to the theater, the third daughter, Clara, soon emerged as an excellent singer and in 16 years with success in the theater sang Italian opera in Dresden, the role of Cinderella in the title role of Rossini. The eldest son, Albert was preparing to devote himself to medicine, but the love of theater has prevailed, and he became a singer and director. From the theater was tied up and step-father - actor, playwright and painter Ludwig Geyer, who replaced Richard his father.

Geyer took care of the family of a deceased friend. He married the mother of Richard - a simple, uneducated, but cheerful and courageous-Rosine Johann, born Bestts - and took his family from Leipzig to Dresden. Richard Geyer, loved and considered him a father. All his life he remembered him with gratitude. On his desk was a portrait of Wagner Geyer, a wall decorated with a different portrait of him with a portrait of his beloved mother, and over the door hung a coat of arms, invented by Wagner and depicting a hawk ("Geier" in German - "Kite").

Geyer was the first who surmised about the way that life goes by Richard. On the eve of his death, he asked the boy to play him on the piano chorus from the opera "Freelancer" Weber listening to the game 8-year-old Richard, Geyer suddenly told his wife: "Maybe he has a talent for music? . . "

Wagner decided to devote himself to music, and was firmly on this path. He alone, without the help of teachers, studied the theory of the composition. In 1831 he enrolled as a volunteer at the University of Leipzig as a "student of music. " At the end of January 1833 Wagner set out to find happiness in Wurzburg, a year later he moved to Leipzig.

Music's 1834-1835 season Wagner held in Magdeburg, where he conducted a small opera house. Cases theater did not go well, despite the energy of the new conductor, whose love and the audience and performers. Wagner decided not to go back to Magdeburg. But the meeting with Wilhelmina (Minna) Planer, a charming actress of the theater, made it to work in Magdeburg more season. Wagner has made efforts to replenish the company, to update the repertoire, but the charges continued to fall, and many artists began to look for a new place. Among them was Minna, who left for Berlin. In complete despair, the letter pleaded with Minna Wagner to come back and marry him, otherwise - "I decided to indulge in drinking, stop all further work and as soon as possible to go to hell. "

In 1836, Minna was the wife of Wagner. Later it turned out that the hasty marriage did not bring happiness. Young, unsecured composer obsessed with the new grand ideas, believing in their great calling, and a beautiful woman practical (older than 4 years), not fond of either theater or art, were quite strangers.

In addition, the director of the Magdeburg Theatre declared bankruptcy. Before closing the theater Wagner hurriedly put his opera "The prohibition of love. " The artists just out of respect for him, undertook to perform a new work. However, the rehearsal was only 10 days, the party hastily rehearsed, all hopes were pinned on the prompter. At the premiere, held March 29, 1836, the audience could hardly understand anything.

Photo — «Wilhelm Richard Wagner»

Wagner wanted to give viewers the printed libretto, but the police demanded to change the name of the opera, which she thought too freely. Wagner hoped to succeed the second performance, but it did not take place: in the room were 3 people behind the scenes and her husband made a prima donna jealous scene, culminating in a fight. Thus ended the second stage Wagner's life - more "Prohibition of Love" on the scene did not appear.

From 1837 to 1839 Wagner was living in Riga. He has worked in theaters and took French lessons.

Wagner never lost faith in their strength, he was full of ambitious hopes, he wanted to conquer Paris, success, fame, money. "It was a daring artist - he wrote later, one of his friends. - With his wife, and half of the opera, with a small purse and with a terribly big and terribly greedy Newfoundland dog to go through the sea and storms of the Dvina directly to the Seine, to become famous in Paris ! . . " The years spent in Paris were to Wagner, as for the young heroes of many novels of Balzac, the time "lost illusions. "

Wagner's position was disastrous. Everything of value was included in a pawn shop and sold. He often ran around all day in the city - in the cold, the fog - to get from lenders delaying payment of debts; once, returning from a trip, and not procured five francs for lunch, he found Minna in tears in the house there was not a piece of bread. Wagner tried not to lose courage, my friends were amazed by his inexhaustible sense of humor, but when he got sick and Minna had nothing to buy medicine, Wagner embraced despair, "Help me God, I can not help themselves. I've used everything, everything - the latest sources hungry . . . And I cursed my life, what else can I do? " Do not get the money, Wagner was in debtors' prison and left it only a month . . .

In Paris, Wagner is very homesick, and in 1942 returned to Germany. "Triumph! Triumph! . . Day has arrived! Let it shine all of you!" - Wagner wrote to his friends about the premiere of "Rienzi" at Dresden October 20, 1842. Unknown musician, dying in poverty in Paris, suddenly became a fashionable composer, celebrity, his newspaper published an autobiography with a portrait. Resounding success luxurious "Rienzi" was a surprise for Wagner. He won a seat in one of the best in Germany, the Dresden theater. But the main strength he gives creativity. After the operas "Rienzi" and "Flying Dutchman", he wrote two more - "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin. "

Wagner outfits were also luxurious and sophisticated: he preferred lace shirt, satin trousers and silk satin gowns. Because of the love of luxury and financial irresponsibility Wagner once spent a night in a debtors' prison.

In March of 1848 in Germany, the revolution began. Wagner greeted her, but soon the rebellion was defeated. The composer was forced to flee from Germany to Switzerland, where he lived for nine years.

Wagner's personal life did not improve. In Minna developed heart disease. Struggling economically, she tried to keep house, and Wagner and wasteful spending a lot. Finding no satisfaction to his artistic needs, away from home, cut off from the usual flurry of activity, unable to see the set by his operas, not getting creative impulses from the outside and at the same time continuing to do hard, Wagner was in need of peace, domestic comfort. He wanted more for luxury, do not fit his slender means, - richly furnished apartment, went to travel to the Alps, then in Italy, went to have fun in Paris, where he enjoyed the favor of the famous courtesan of Pavia. He met with Jesse Lossot, beautiful 21-year Englishwoman whose husband had a composer royalty-free financial aid. Jesse was struck by the beauty and the composer's mind. They even got together to leave for Greece. However, this learned her husband and threatened to kill Wagner. Mr. Lossot took his wife with him. Wagner tried to chase them, but her husband Jesse turned to the police, after which the composer had to retreat.

Photo — «Wilhelm Richard Wagner»

But Richard went on to enjoy life. Provide an opportunity to lead such a life, according to the composer, had his friends and admirers.

Wagner formed a circle around loyal friends. Over the years they became more and more. In Zurich, often visited Liszt, there lived an architect Semper, who fled after the defeat of the Dresden uprising in England (where he and Wagner found during a trip to London), poet Herwegh - as a political exile.

In August 1857 the youngest daughter of Liszt, Cosima, married the Billow. Soon the young couple went to stay with Wagner. The composer was living in a "shelter on the Green Hill" - a house that was built specifically for the wealthy merchant Otto Wagner Vezendonkom next to his villa in the picturesque town near Zurich. Cosima, very similar in appearance to Liszt, caused universal admiration of friends of Wagner; Herwegh dedicated poems to her. And Wagner recalled that four years ago, seeing Liszt in Paris, he met there at a family party with his children - two daughters and a son. On Cosimo, who had not yet been 16 years, has retained a vague recollection: Liszt's daughter made an impression on Wagner's very shy teenagers, and he seems not even remember their names. But now, Wagner wrote in admiration: "If you know of Cosimo, you will agree with me that the young couple set up for every kind of happiness that is possible. With great intelligence and a real genius in this man so much ease, so much wind that they can feel itself only very good. " Cosima really brought "joy that is possible," but not Bulow and Wagner . . .

However, in 1857 the composer had not yet had a premonition that this woman younger than his 24 years, is destined to be his last and true love. In those years, Wagner was seized by an ardent passion for Matilda Vezendonk. Their acquaintance took place in early 1852 in Zurich. Otto Vezendonk knowing constrained financial situation of the composer, offered him their hospitality. Wagner immediately fell in love with his wife, 24-year-old Matilda different rare beauty, charm, poetic soul warehouse. She wrote poetry, music and fine felt admired the genius of Wagner. "The best thing I know - later recalled Matilda - I have received from Wagner. " In turn, Richard wrote to her:

"And my dear muse is still far away? Silently I waited her visit, asking not to disturb her wish. Muse, like love, bless freely. Woe to fool, woe to the beggar of love, if he wants to take the power that he was not given voluntarily. They can not prinevolivat. Do not you think? How could love be muzoyu if she allowed herself to force?

And my dear muse is still far away from me? "

He shared with her artistic intentions, read his article, wrote in her album Piano Sonata and created by her great love songs lyrics - "Five Poems for the female voice. " Matilda Wagner sent the first sketches arose in his musical themes - of "Valkyrie," "Siegfried," "Tristan and Isolde," "Die Meistersinger" and even "Parsifal. " It was his first listener that what Wagner wrote in the morning, in the evenings, he played Matilda. Love for Mathilde Vezendonk inspired and one of the original Wagner - "Tristan und Isolde. " The opera, according to the composer - a monument to unrequited love, the deepest, "While I was never given no experience of true happiness of love, I still want to put a monument of this beautiful utopia - a monument, in which all, from first to last stroke to be saturated love. In my head roams the idea of ??"Tristan und Isolde": the simple but full of inspiration, a musical concept! Black flag, which blows in the last act, shielding himself and - die! " Matilda was able to subdue his Vezendonk feeling indebted to Wagner for her husband and family (by the time she was a mother of three children). Otto was a friend of the composer Vezendonk and continued to provide them financial assistance.

Minna Wagner did not believe that the relations between Matilda and her husband's purely platonic.

Photo — «Wilhelm Richard Wagner»

Her fears were confirmed when she intercepted a love letter. Beside himself with rage, Minna arranged the scene first Richard and then Matilda. Vezendonk everything frankly told her husband, so I was surprised that Wagner did not devote Minna in the details of their relationship. She broke up with composer and returned to her husband. Minna also left out of the house of Wagner. After this scandal, they almost did not live together.

Composer's life took place in the eternal wandering: Paris, Vienna, Leipzig, St. Petersburg, Moscow. In Munich, he became a favorite of King Ludwig II, famous for his sexual orientation. Monarch paid all the debts of the composer and current expenditure.

At the request of Wagner's music to guide his operas in Munich, was invited by his friend and pupil of Hans Bulow, under his direction, the premiere of "Tristan. " Bulow moved here in late June 1864 with his wife, Cosimo and two daughters. Fifty years of Wagner became the lover of Mrs. von Bulow. In the five years before Richard was fond of her older sister Cosima Blandin. Cosima, Wagner lived in the house as his secretary, the composer tried to create family comfort, which he had been deprived for so long. Her marriage was unhappy with the Bulow and love for Wagner ripened in her mind long ago. Woman relaxing temper, she could not bear sudden outbursts of Hans. Nevertheless, at first she lived with her husband and and Wagner, but then chose a lover.

Buelow grieved betrayal of his wife and friend who was so devoted. After learning about the incident from accidentally opening the letter to Wagner Cosimo, he harbored a deep his grief and said nothing, even his closest friends.

In these circumstances, Bulow continued to faithfully serve the cause of Wagner's up until the composer had left Munich.

Wagner's deeply offended by the behavior not only Billow, but another of his faithful friend - Liszt, Cosima father.

After leaving in 1865, the capital of Bavaria, Wagner settled permanently in Switzerland. Until the spring of 1866 he lived in a villa near Geneva, and in April he settled near Lucerne, in Tribshene.

But how different was life in Tribshene the first "Swiss exile" Wagner! Six years he spent there (1866-1872) were the most relaxed and happy in his turbulent life. Ran out of poverty and an oppressive solitude. Next to him was Cosima, loyal and faithful friend, a man of strong will, perseverance, energy and ambition no less than Wagner. In his declining years he learned the happiness of fatherhood - one after the other children were born, which the composer gave the names of their favorite opera characters. Back in Munich, during rehearsals, "Tristan", was born Isolde, for her - the blue-eyed, golden-haired Eva, named after the Duchess of "Die Meistersinger" and, finally, the desired son, named Siegfried. His birth coincided with the completion of the opera "Siegfried": "The day when I have a happy, beautiful son was born, I finished the song" Siegfried, "interrupted eleven years ago. Unheard case! Nobody would believe that I did it. . . But now I have to live in joy. Lovely, strong son of a high forehead, clear eyes, Richard Siegfried inherits his father's name and retain his world of creation "- wrote to a friend Wagner. His mood these days, he captured in bright and serene music of "Siegfried Idyll," for small symphony orchestra, which prefaced a poem dedication to Cosimo:

Let those who appreciate Siegfried

Eat the world of sounds born to

Wagner has achieved everything - the recognition, fame, secured status, happiness and love. Death overtook him at work. The composer died suddenly of a heart attack. His funeral was followed by a truly treated like royalty.

Cosima in the proof of love and devotion to her husband cut off her hair, which my husband so admired, and put them on a red pillow in a coffin under his head. She survived almost half a century by Wagner and high energy continued its work, and she died in 1930, ninety-three years old.