Wagner's apartments

After the large-format book Wandrer heisst mich die Welt - In Richard Wagner's footsteps through Europe now follows the equally lavishly designed volume on Wagner's apartments: nine in Zurich alone (1849-1858), two hotels in Lucerne (1850 and 1859), the country house in Tribschen (1866-1872) as well as hotels and a palazzo in Venice, where he died in 1883. The "magnificent buildings" were probably only in Lucerne and Venice; the apartments in Zurich were rather modest. There is often talk of problems with furnishings, which increased Wagner's debt management and did credit to the "pump genius" - an expression coined by Thomas Mann.

Nevertheless, the luxurious volume with large pictures and attractive contributions from various authors is a treasure trove of documents and facsimiles; even from the "Wagner clan", Nike Wagner and Dagny Beidler have contributed informative texts on the subject of "Wagner and Switzerland". The fact that a number of illustrations were used in both books is irrelevant in view of the wealth of information on Wagner's private life and work: a sympathetic form of keyhole perspective that sheds light on the psyche of this "genius of the century" and can effectively complement the previous publication. The latest research is also included in "little things": Documents on the "Estate of Richard Wagner" and the "Funeral" as well as opinions on the medical findings and conjectures on the "Pringle Affair" are published here, probably for the first time outside the academic literature.

Prachtgemäuer - Wagner places in Zurich, Lucerne, Tribschen and Venice, edited by Christian Bührle, Markus Kiesel and Joachim Mildner, 288 p., 500 illustrations, € 58.00, ConBrio, Regensburg 2020, ISBN 978-3-940768-89-6