Richard Wagner was born on 22 May, 1813 in Leipzig. His stepfather Ludwig Geyer was a gifted actor, painter and writer whose artistic nature influenced Richard’s decision to start learning music in 1828. During the decade of 1833-43 Wagner constantly moved from one place to another. When in Riga he wrote his first operas: “Die Feen” and “Das Liebesverbot”. Those two operas still prove pallid when compared to his third one – “Rienzi” that premiered in 1842 in Paris and turned out to be the start of a successful musical career.
In 1843 Wagner conducted the premier performance of his opera “The Flying Dutchman”. It was a success, but in the composer’s opinion the public had not fully appreciated the piece. Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” unlike his “Rienzi” was not conceived in order to please the public. This time it was a character romantic-legendary work. While rehearsing “The Flying Dutchman” he was busy composing “Tannhäuser”. The latter had a substantial influence on formation of the composer’s musical style and dramaturgic qualities of his works. In 1849 due to the revolutionary turmoil in Dresden the premier of his next opera “Lohengrin” was postponed as Wagner himself played a supporting role in the uprising. The revolution was quickly defeated by the government troops and Wagner, facing the threat of being arrested, had to flee. He left Germany in 1849 and the next twelve years spent in exile, first visiting France then settling in Zurich. He was devastated, without any income to speak of, with dim prospects concerning his future.
In the 1850s he worked on the major composition of his life – “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, but put the work aside in 1857 indefinitely disillusioned with the possibility of social reform. He concentrated on a new idea: “Tristan und Isolde”, a colossal tone poem about the disastrous power of overwhelming passion. After leaving Switzerland, Wagner wandered Europe unable to find a safe refuge to settle down. Eventually he was granted permission to return to Germany, his homeland, but had uneasy feelings about staying in the country. In 1863 Wagner accepted an invitation to visit Russia where he gave concerts in Saint Petersburg and Moscow winning recognition from the public by his talent and skills. He then went to Switzerland again and ironically, namely during that period of a troubled personal life he wrote “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg”, his only mature comedy.
In May of 1864 Wagner’s life saw a dramatic upturn. The new Bavarian King Ludwig II had him brought to Munich and the composer’s financial problems settled. But soon enough Wagner had to leave the city due to criticism on the part of the local press and pressure from members of the court. Wagner and his new love Cosima von Bülow settled at the Villa Tribschen in Switzerland. Here Wagner turned his energies toward completing the cycle of the “Ring”, which was finished in 1874.
The last years of the composer’s life were finally blessed with the deserved fame and recognition. In 1872 in Bayreuth in Bavaria Wagner embarked on the construction of a new opera house designed for the performance of the “Ring”. He and his family moved to the town two years later. The opera house was opened in 1876. The last five years of his life the composer spent working on his final opera “Parsifal”.
Richard Wagner died of a heart attack in Venice on 13 February, 1883.