Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Plates
- List of Figures
- Foreword
- Preface to the New Edition
- Chronology
- Chapter 1 1843–1865: Childhood and Years of Study
- Chapter 2 1866–1867: Tribschen
- Chapter 3 1868–1869: Munich
- Chapter 4 1870–1871: Brussels; Tribschen
- Chapter 5 1871–1874: Budapest
- Chapter 6 1874–1875: Budapest and Bayreuth
- Chapter 7 1875: Vienna
- Chapter 8 1876: Bayreuth
- Chapter 9 1877: London
- Chapter 10 1878–1879: Vienna
- Chapter 11 1879–1880: Friends and Enemies
- Chapter 12 1880–1881: London and Vienna
- Chapter 13 1881–1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 14 1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 15 1882–1883: The Master's Death
- Chapter 16 1884: More Opera in London
- Chapter 17 1885–1886: Vienna, London and Birmingham
- Chapter 18 1887–1888 Return to Bayreuth
- Chapter 19 1889–1900: Vienna
- Chapter 20 1897–1900: Richter and Mahler
- Chapter 21 1889–1890: England
- Chapter 22 1891–1895: England
- Chapter 23 1895–1900: England
- Chapter 24 1890–1899: Bayreuth
- Chapter 25 1894–1899: Richter's Diary
- Chapter 26 1899–1900: Hallé Orchestra
- Chapter 27 1900–1902: England
- Chapter 28 1903–1904: England
- Chapter 29 1904–1906: England
- Chapter 30 1906–1908: England
- Chapter 31 1908–1909: England
- Chapter 32 1909–1911: England
- Chapter 33 1911–1914: Retirement
- Chapter 34 1914–1916: The Last Years
- Chapter 35 Finale
- HANS RICHTER'S CONDUCTING BOOKS
- Appendix 1 Works conducted by Hans Richter
- Appendix 2 Cities and towns where Richter conducted
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 8 - 1876: Bayreuth
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 April 2017
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Plates
- List of Figures
- Foreword
- Preface to the New Edition
- Chronology
- Chapter 1 1843–1865: Childhood and Years of Study
- Chapter 2 1866–1867: Tribschen
- Chapter 3 1868–1869: Munich
- Chapter 4 1870–1871: Brussels; Tribschen
- Chapter 5 1871–1874: Budapest
- Chapter 6 1874–1875: Budapest and Bayreuth
- Chapter 7 1875: Vienna
- Chapter 8 1876: Bayreuth
- Chapter 9 1877: London
- Chapter 10 1878–1879: Vienna
- Chapter 11 1879–1880: Friends and Enemies
- Chapter 12 1880–1881: London and Vienna
- Chapter 13 1881–1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 14 1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 15 1882–1883: The Master's Death
- Chapter 16 1884: More Opera in London
- Chapter 17 1885–1886: Vienna, London and Birmingham
- Chapter 18 1887–1888 Return to Bayreuth
- Chapter 19 1889–1900: Vienna
- Chapter 20 1897–1900: Richter and Mahler
- Chapter 21 1889–1890: England
- Chapter 22 1891–1895: England
- Chapter 23 1895–1900: England
- Chapter 24 1890–1899: Bayreuth
- Chapter 25 1894–1899: Richter's Diary
- Chapter 26 1899–1900: Hallé Orchestra
- Chapter 27 1900–1902: England
- Chapter 28 1903–1904: England
- Chapter 29 1904–1906: England
- Chapter 30 1906–1908: England
- Chapter 31 1908–1909: England
- Chapter 32 1909–1911: England
- Chapter 33 1911–1914: Retirement
- Chapter 34 1914–1916: The Last Years
- Chapter 35 Finale
- HANS RICHTER'S CONDUCTING BOOKS
- Appendix 1 Works conducted by Hans Richter
- Appendix 2 Cities and towns where Richter conducted
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Birthday greetings from Richter to Cosima Wagner at Christmas 1875 and the naming of his daughter Richardis put the finishing touches to healing the rift, or, as Cosima herself described it, the ‘passing illness’ of the previous summer. Richter was once again the ‘alte Geselle’, the disciple of old. The Wagners were to pay another visit to Vienna before concentrating entirely on Bayreuth during the momentous year of 1876 and it proved to be Wagner's last visit to the city. In order to show how pleased he had been with the chorus in Lohengrin, he offered to return in March 1876 to conduct a benefit performance for them of the work that Richter had been conducting in the meantime. Jauner feared that Wagner would demand extra rehearsals but to everyone's surprise none took place. He arrived during the evening of 1 March, conducted the opera on the following evening and, by the next day, was gone for good. Although Richter recorded in his diary that there was no rehearsal prior to the performance, Max Morold contradicts this with an account of a short, ‘top-and-tail’ session where difficult corners were tackled. This was to be the first and last time that Wagner ever conducted Lohengrin. According to Joseph Sulzer's account, Richter's role was as follows.
Wagner in no way handled a baton like a professional conductor. In some places he would conduct extremely precisely and rhythmically, at others, when either tired or wrapped in his own thoughts, nonchalantly or not at all; as a result an unholy confusion would sometimes have occurred were it not for a rescuing deus ex machina in the shape of Hans Richter, who intervened at such moments. In fact Richter had foreseen such potential calamities and, in honour of the Master, had undertaken the job of timpanist, from which seat he conducted with his sticks without Wagner noticing.
Richter himself said he was elsewhere:
Apart from a few moments of uncertainty, the performance was excellent. To achieve a greater security the chorus master [Carl] Pfeffer and I conducted from the wings. [Wagner] received a storm of applause each time he appeared in the pit.
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- Hans Richter , pp. 102 - 115Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2016