Mathilde Wesendonck was not only the wife of Richard Wagner’s patron Otto Wesendonck, but also the composer’s muse and soul mate. In 1857 and 1858 he set five of her poems to music, which became famous as the “Wesendonck-Lieder”. They will be heard on Saturday, January 28, in the Unterhachinger Kubiz, performed by the mezzo-soprano Carolin Ritter and the Academic Orchestra Association Munich, conducted by Alois Rottenaicher. The titles “Angel”, “Stand Still”, “In the greenhouse”, “Pain” and “Dreams” repeatedly refer to death, longing, desire and eternal love in various allusions. The relationship between Wagner and Mathilde Wesendonck ended abruptly and with a scandal, as Wagner’s wife Minna intercepted a misleading letter. At the concert in Unterhaching, starting at 8 p.m., the audience can also look forward to the performance of the overture to the romantic opera “Der Vampyr” by Heinrich Marschner and the Serenade for Orchestra No. 1 by Johannes Brahms. Tickets are available at Kubiz (telephone 089/66 55 53 16) or online at https://kubiz-tickets.reservix.de.
Unterhaching: Wagner’s Wesendonck songs in the Kubiz district of Munich
