Richard Wagner - Siegfried Idyll
1,823,605
Published 2011-02-23
Apart from the operas, Wagner composed a small number of pieces; this stems from his reluctance to conceive music which didn't belong to the sacredness of the drama, fundamental expression of his thought.
The "Siegfried Idyll" is a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra, composed by Richard Wagner (1813-1883) as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. It was first performed on Christmas morning, 25 December 1870, by a small ensemble on the stairs of their villa at Tribschen.
Wagner's opera "Siegfried", which was premiered in 1876, incorporates music from the Idyll. It was once thought that the Idyll borrowed musical ideas intended for the opera, but it is now known that the opposite is the case: Wagner adapted melodic material from an unfinished chamber piece in the Idyll and later incorporated it into the love scene between Siegfried and Brunhilde in the opera.
All Comments (21)
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This is............prettay prettay prettay........... pretty good
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For anyone so blessed to who have ever been in true love, imagine the incredible awe Wagner's wife must Cosima have felt as he debuted this incredible symphonic poem to his wife as a gift on Christmas morning to his wife for the birch of their son Seigfrid. He arranged to have a small chamber ensemble perform it at their villa in Tribschen. It was a musical poem illustrating sunrise and birdsong. Truly, one of the most lovingly romantic gestures of musical artistic brilliance of all-time.
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Wagner composed the Siegfried Idyll as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. It was first performed on Christmas morning, 25 December 1870,[1] by a small ensemble of the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich on the stairs of their villa at Tribschen (today part of Lucerne), Switzerland. Cosima awoke to its opening melody. Conductor Hans Richter played the brief trumpet part in that private performance.[2] The original title was Triebschen Idyll with Fidi's birdsong and the orange sunrise, as symphonic birthday greeting. Presented to his Cosima by her Richard. "Fidi" was the family's nickname for their son Siegfried. It is thought that the birdsong and the sunrise refer to incidents of personal significance to the couple. Wagner's opera Siegfried, which was premiered in 1876, incorporates music from the Idyll. Wagner adapted the material from an unfinished chamber piece into the Idyll before giving the theme to Brunhilde in the opera's final scene.[3] The work also uses a German lullaby, "Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf (de)", played by solo oboe. Ernest Newman discovered it was linked to the Wagners' older daughter Eva. This and other musical references, whose meaning remained unknown to the outside world for many years, reveal the idyll's levels of personal significance for both Wagner and Cosima.[4] Wagner originally intended the Siegfried Idyll to remain a private piece.[5] However, due to financial pressures, he decided to sell the score to publisher B. Schott in 1878.[3] In doing so, Wagner expanded the orchestration to 35 players to make the piece more marketable.[3] The original piece is scored for a small chamber orchestra of 13 players: flute, oboe, two clarinets, bassoon, two horns, trumpet, two violins, viola, cello and double bass. The trumpet part is very brief, lasting only 13 measures. The piece is commonly played today by orchestras with more than one player on each string part. Modern performances are much slower than those of earlier years.[6]
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Wagner’s melodies are out of this world. What a gorgeous piece of music !
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"Siegfried" means that feeling of peacefulness and easiness you get after you just won a huge battle.
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Got my name after this man, and I think this is the only time in 19 years of living taht I reaaly stopped to listen to his music and I gotta say it's amazing!
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In this rendition, i can see Wagner as he stood on the stairs picturing the sounds drifting up and awakening Cosima in a sense of wonder. She rises and carries their son to the head of the stairs looking down on her husband with a smile that few of us will ever know . This is the most tender version I have ever heard and it's wonderful. Thank you!
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This music feels like one's whole life flashing before your ears for 23 minutes.
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I have just begun to appreciate classical music. I always seem to be drawn to Wagner. This is my favorite piece. Absolutely beautiful!
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It is utterly sublime. It harmonizes with one's soul.
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For my beautiful girl, missed every second, every hour, each day and almost 2 years. Rest in peace Zosia 💔 till we meet again
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It's hard to imagine the human mind could conceive of something so beautiful.
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I don’t know much about Richard Wagner, but he looks just like what I would expect a RICHARD WAGNER to look like. Fantastic piece, beautiful and easy to enjoy.
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Wagner's Siegfried Idyll is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed. Though I like much of Wagner's music, I could only enjoy the excerpts from his operas as opposed to the opera's in their entirety. The Siegfried Idyll reveals Wagner's genius with a piece of such unrivaled tenderness and warmth. Such music convinces me that there is still some beauty in a weary world, and even by a man who by many accounts was quite self-centered, pompous and bigoted.
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I closed my eyes and accidentally knocked off around the 15 minuet mark I’m guessing, I don’t know, I know I was just cloaked in pure majesty and beautiful music and slowly come back around as it ended....I went just fir a moment to a magic place. Let dreamers dream what worlds they please.
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I feel sorry for the 222 dislikers. They are literally out-of-tune with one of the great creations from within our universe.
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"Thus the work of art of the future shall embrace the spirit of free humanity beyond all barriers of nationality; the national essence in it may only be a decoration, a charm of individual variety, not an inhibitory barrier. " Wagner
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In my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces ever constructed. I've been in love with it for 40 years. Thank you for posting it.
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this is the best performance i've ever heard of this piece, thanks Celibidache.
