Operas in Dresden

The post of court conductor was financially rewarding, but all of Wagner’s previous debts came home to roost upon him, and he found himself besieged by requests for payment going back years. But things looked bright enough at the beginning. He had time, too, to begin work on a new three-act opera, Tannhäuser, which he began in June 1842 and completed in October 1845. Echoing the situation encountered earlier with his opera Das Liebesverbot, the music of Tannhäuser was being revised almost up to the premiere itself on the 19th October 1845. But this time, the singers were much more prepared, and the performance was a rousing success. (Even after its premiere, Tannhäuser did not entirely please Wagner. He was dissatisfied with certain parts, and continued to revise it until 1851.)

Wagner came gradually to believe strongly that German operatic music was in decline, and needed to be revived with serious aesthetic and intellectual guidelines. He began writing a new opera libretto, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, but was distracted by yet another project which caught his fancy. He was greatly influenced by reading German epics at this time, and began work on two other opera librettos, Parsifal and Lohengrin, both heroic epics with legendary heroes. Parsifal lay unfinished for years, but Lohengrin’s libretto was completed in November 1845, and the music took two years to write, being completed in April 1848. A portion of it was performed in a concert version in September 1848, but it was not until 28th August 1850, in Weimar that the opera in its entirety received its premiere under the extremely able baton of Liszt. (Wagner had begged for his help in having the work performed, since he himself was banned from Germany at that time. Thus Wagner himself was not present on that occasion – it was not until 1859 that he first heard Lohengrin performed.)

Political turmoil

Wagner continued to compose, even though the political situation in Dresden became increasingly unrestful. The French Revolution of 1848 was spreading its shadow of influence over much of Europe, and Wagner was sympathetic to its liberal ideals. During this period, he wrote a five-act libretto for Jesus von Nazareth and a three-act libretto called Achilleus. There are brief music sketches in existence for Jesus von Nazareth, but nothing further. It is likely that Wagner became so involved in the Dresden revolt that he lacked the time or dedication to compose steadily. He was associating with revolutionaries and agitators, caught up in the vision of a glorious free Germany, and blind to the signs that disaster loomed.

The revolt failed, crushed by Prussian troops – and a warrant was issued for Wagner’s part in the uprising. Should he be found in Saxony, he would be arrested on sight. Indeed, Wagner felt that he would not be safe anywhere in Germany, and with Liszt’s help, Wagner and Minna fled to Zurich by way of Weimar and Paris. Wagner’s fellows, with whom he had been plotting, were arrested and executed.