Travel tips for opera lovers – Weimar and Richard Wagner

Wagner and Liszt in Weimar

The series about historical places of opera art. Get to know exciting excursion and travel ideas for opera lovers. This time: Richard Wagner and his friend Franz Liszt in Weimar

All Destinations on google maps with links to detailed Blogposts:

Richard Wagner in Weimar

Wagner fled to Liszt in Weimar in 1849 when he was wanted by a warrant. Liszt generously helped him with shelter and money for the journey to Zurich and promised him to perform his “Lohengrin” planned for Dresden. Thus, in 1850, the Weimar Court Theater became the premiere venue for this romantic opera by the wanted Wagner.

LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY

Destination Court Theater

Goethe took over the management of the court theater in 1791 and together with Schiller led it to blossom. Later Maria Pavlovna, wife of Grand Duke Carl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach developed it into a musical theater and hired Franz Liszt as court conductor in 1842. The theater subsequently became an important cultural center and, in addition to Lohengrin, also became the premiere venue for Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” in 1893, by none other than Richard Strauss, who was for a time Kapellmeister in Weimar and also presented some symphonic poetry here for the first time. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new theater building was constructed on the same site.

https://www.nationaltheater-weimar.de/

The old Court Theater: