R.W. - Venezia

Of the four Liszt works associated with the death of Wagner, two of them – the two versions of La lugubre gondola – were written before his colleague actually died: staying with Cosima and Richard Wagner in the Palazzo Vendramin in Venice in the winter of 1882-83, Liszt was so fascinated by the spectacle of the funeral processions by gondola and at the same time so aware of the precarious state Wagner’s health that he imagined his body being carried on the water in the same way. In fact, only a month after Liszt left Venice, Wagner died there and his body was transported in a draped gondola to the railway station to be taken to its final resting place in Bayreuth. If Liszt’s immediate reaction to the news of Wagner’s death seemed minimal – he is said to have muttered only, “He today, I tomorrow” without looking up from his work – the spare textures, visionary harmonies and valedictory allusions of R.W. – Venezia is a tribute of rare inspiration. The fourth piece in the series, Am Grabe Richard Wagners was written shortly before what would have been Wagner’s 70th birthday in May 1883.

Gerald Larner©