Venetian Voices: Richard Wagner

Christine V. Courtney's Venetian Voices takes you on a stroll over bridges and under cloisters, following Venetian locals and visitors as they pass through centuries.
On Saturday 24 June, Wakefield Press is joining with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to launch Venetian Voices with a unique afternoon of music and poetry. Graham Abbott (ABC Classic FM) will be conducting members of the orchestra in a Venetian-inspired program, interspersed with readings from Christine.
Tickets are $50 and include Coriole wine, Venetian antipasti and a copy of the stunning Venetian Voices (RRP $49.95). Secure yours now through the ASO website or by calling 08 8233 6233.
The program includes Richard Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, which we recommend listening to while you enjoy a taste of Christine's poetry.
 

 

Richard Wagner

19th century

 

Late in 1882, an odd-looking couple

on their daily pilgrimage

stroll through St Mark’s Square.

Liszt’s daughter Cosima

and the master Richard Wagner pause;

listening to a haunting refrain

from his masterpiece:

the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde.

Music of wondrous beauty drifts aloft,

heard with rapture by the locals

and played in tribute

by humble musicians of the Café Florian.

He dips his head in acknowledgment.

An imperceptible down beat, and pause

from the sick master quavering,

crotchety on his final walk.

A lifetime subject of notoriety,

and gossip, he senses

an unknown conductor

hovering in the wings, waiting

to conduct his Liebestod.

In the Palazzo early in 1883,

the stranger calls in the dying day

to dim the rays, to snuff his light.

Wagner’s lifetime of creativity

paid the ferryman in full.

As Charon led the funeral cortege,

the gondoliers raised oars in a ‘Piscopian’ salute,

when the procession

passed Palazzo Vendramin Calergi,

where the masterpiece was completed.

It moved slowly, respectfully

pianissimo along the Grand Canal,

towards his final resting place,

the Pantheon of Bayreuth.

 

 
Remember to book your tickets here otherwise find out more about Venetian Voices here.