Wagner 1863 at Theater an der Wien

In November 1862 Richard Wagner came to Vienna to supervise rehearsals for the scheduled premiere of Tristan and Isolde at the Court Opera. But after seventy-seven rehearsals the opera’s orchestra abandoned the work
as unplayable. It now became essential for Wagner to find new compositions with which to present himself. The Theater an der Wien was chosen as the venue of this publicity concert. On three days at the turn of the year 1862/63, Wagner presented excerpts from the Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Walküre, Das Rheingold and Siegfried for the first time to an audience that was partly enthusiastic, partly taken aback.

150 years after this event, the Theater an der Wien pays tribute to Richard Wagner on the occasion of his 200th birthday by repeating this concert.