This birthday salute to Wagner is extra special. At the centre is a silent film about the composer which was filmed in the early days of cinema history – much to the dismay of Cosima Wagner who considered the entire movie industry to be the devil’s work and used all her powers to try to stop the project. As a result, the original music of neither Wagner nor Liszt could be used for the film. The film crew cleverly side-stepped this problem by incorporating a score that parodied the original music, and today the film is considered an historical document of extraordinary value. We wish you an educational and entertaining evening

Frank Strobel Conductor
German Philharmonic Orchestra
Rhineland-Palatinate

Giuseppe Becce Actor portraying Richard Wagner in the film, and composer of the original film score

Reconstructed original silent film - Film Biography of Richard WagnerFrom 1913 (Directed by Carl Froelich/William Wauer). Instrumentation of the original music by Bernd Schultheis.

Finishing time approx.: 9.30 pm