Wagner in Wahnfried
Donald Macleod follows Wagner’s journey to Bayreuth and the birth of his festival.
A house named for peace. A theatre built for myth. A festival that nearly collapsed before it began. In today’s episode, Donald Macleod follows Wagner into the final act of his life as he realises his last great dream: the Bayreuth Festival. From the design of the Festspielhaus to the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, we follow Wagner’s relentless pursuit of artistic control.
Parsifal, Act III Suite, ed. Abbado: Good Friday Music
Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Götterdammerung, Siegfried’s Funeral March
The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, conductor
Siegfried, extract from Act II Scene 1
Simon O'Neill (Siegfried), tenor
Michael Volle (Wanderer), baritone
Peter Hoare (Mime), tenor
Anja Kampe (Brünnhilde), soprano
Franz-Josef Selig (Fafner), bass
Gerhild Romberger (Erda), contralto
Danae Kontora (Waldvogel), soprano
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
Kinder-Katechismus
Vienna Boys’ Choir
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti, conductor
Die Walküre, Act III Scene 3: Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music
Berlin Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West.
Last on
More episodes
Next
You are at the last episode
Music Played
![]()
Richard Wagner
Good Friday Music
Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON : 474-377-2.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
- 3.
![]()
Richard Wagner
Gotterdammerung (Siegfried's Funeral March)
Performer: The Cleveland Orchestra. Conductor: Georg Szell.- SONY : SBK-48 175.
- SONY.
- 6.
![]()
Richard Wagner
Siegfried, Act 2, Scene 1 (excerpt)
Singer: Simon O’Neill. Singer: Michael Volle. Singer: Peter Hoare. Singer: Anja Kampe. Singer: Franz‐Josef Selig. Singer: Gerhild Romberger. Singer: Danae Kontora. Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.- BR KLASSIK : 900-211.
- BR KLASSIK.
- 3.
![]()
Richard Wagner
Kinderkatechismus
Performer: Vienna Philharmonic. Performer: Vienna Boys' Choir. Conductor: Georg Solti.- ELOQUENCE : 4846921.
- ELOQUENCE.
- 2.
![]()
Richard Wagner
Die Walkure, Act 3, Scene 3 (excerpt)
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON : 479-635-9.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
- 42.
Broadcast
- Fri 21 Nov 202516:00BBC Radio 3
Beethoven Unleashed – the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.
