| Main Performers | Amalie Friedrich-Materna,
Babette Waibel,
Elisabeth Exter,
Friederike von Sadler-Grun,
Georg Unger,
Karl Hill,
Herr Chandon,
Max Schlosser - vocals |
| Orchestra or Band | Wagner Festival Orchestra |
| Choirs | Bayreuth Festival Vocalists |
| Conductors | Richard Wagner,
Hans Richter,
Dannreuther |
| Set List | 'Kaisermarsch' (Wagner Festival Orchestra),
Rienzi:
'Rienzi's Prayer' (Georg Unger, Wagner Festival Orchestra)
'March of the Messengers of Peace' (Wagner Festival Orchestra),
'Rienzi's Address to the Conspirators' (Georg Unger, Wagner Festival Orchestra),
Tannhauser: Excerpts from Act II
'Introduction and entrance of Elizabeth' (Amalie Friedrich-Materna, Wagner Festival Orchestra),
'Elizabeth,Wolfram and Tannhauser' (Amalie Friedrich-Materna, Carl Hill, Georg Unger, Wagner Festival Orchestra),
'Landgraf' (Herr Chandon, Wagner Festival Orchestra)
'Reception of the Guests at Wartburg'
INTERVAL
Das Rheingold:
'Prelude and Scene in the depths of the Rhine' (Friederike Grun, Frl.Waibel, Frl.Exter, Carl Hill, Herr Chandon, Wagner Festival Orchestra),
Fragment: Loge's tidings (Max Schlosser, Wagner Festival Orchestra),
'Grand closing scene' (Frau.Friederike Grun, Frl.Waibel, Frl.Exter, Carl Hill, Max Schlosser, Herr Chandon, Wagner Festival Orchestra) |
| Royal Presence | HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh,
HSH The Duchess of Teck,
HRH The Prince Leopold,
HSH The Duke of Teck,
Count Gleichen |
| Performance Notes | This series of eight concerts was originally scheduled to comprise of just six, but two subsequent 'Farewell Concerts' were later added to the booking at the approval of the Hall's Council. The initial six concerts, to be held between 7-19 May, were arranged via Mr Hodge and Mr Essex, the London agents for Richard Wagner, at a rent of £500. The Hall's Manager subsequently let the Hall for two additional concerts at a rent of £45 and £50. The Hall's Council minutes record that, '...the concerts had proved a financial success to the promoters and artistes.'
Wilhelmj was the concert master and Richter and Dannreuther were the rehearsal conductors. Soloists were from the Bayreuth Festival and included Frau Materna, Frau von Sadler-Grün, Fraulein Babette Waibel, Fraulein Elisabeth Exter, Herr Unger, Herr Hill, Herr Chandon and Herr Schlosser. It was intended that Wagner should conduct selections from his operas during the first half of each concert, with Richter taking over after the interval, however Wagner was intimidated by the size of the Hall and found himself unable to manage during the rehearsal. In the event Wagner actually only conducted the first item of each programme. After that he handed his baton over to Richter and sat in a large arm chair on the corner of the stage for the rest of each concert. The public were not impressed and it was necessary to add two further concerts at reduced prices, with artists and orchestra accepting half salaries in order for this Wagner Festival not to be a complete financial disaster.
George Bernard Shaw reported that the Wagner conducted a vast and clumsy orchestra of about 170 players with the air of a man, who hoped he might never be condemned to listen to such a performance again.
"Herr Richard Wagner had little reason to be otherwise than satisfied with the welcome accorded to him on Monday night in the Royal Albert Hall, when the first of his projected series of concerts was given. A very large audience greeted him with a cordiality not to be mistaken. Everybody, in fact, was glad to see the man about whom all musical Europe has been talking, and who, by talking on his own account has incited all musical Europe to talk for more than a quarter of a century." (The Times, 8 May 1877) |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1877/2) |