Introduction
Wagner's Zurich
Zurich's Wagner
Weathering Storms
The Life Aquatic
Publishing in Zurich
Colleagues and Competitors: The Men Who Weren't There
Composing in Wagner's Footsteps
Wagner Conducts
Otto's Family Ways
Voicing Mathilde: Wagner's Controlling Muse
Epilogue
Works Consulted
Index of Names
Chris Walton studied at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford,
Zurich and Munich. He was head of the Music Department of the
Zentralbibliothek
Zürich for ten years before being appointed chair of music at the
University of Pretoria. He moved back to Switzerland in 2008 and
lives today in
Solothurn. He is an Honorary Professor at Africa Open Institute
(Stellenbosch University) and runs two research projects at the
Bern University of the Arts for the Swiss National Science
Foundation. He has published widely on Austro-German and Swiss
music.
Just when one thinks everything that could possibly be written
about Wagner has been written, along comes a new point of view....
There are real surprises here and many an obscurity brightened up
or revealed .... The writing is erudite... an important addition to
the Wagner bibliography.
*AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE*
The connections and meetings among contemporary composers such as
Hünerwadel, Baumgartner, Eschmann and Wagner that Walton brings out
are striking, [as are] the similarities that he establishes between
Wagner and Brahms, like Wagner a friend of Swiss landscape and
culture.
*SCHWEIZER MUSIKZEITUNG*
Walton's deep knowledge of his subject allows him to draw subtle
and unexpected connections throughout.... meticulously researched
and highly readable...packed with information and insight on a
crucial decade of Wagner's life: a must-buy for Wagner scholars and
enthusiasts.
*THE WAGNER JOURNAL*
Filling in many gaps ..., [this book] has the feel of freshly
discovered research materials.... In a detailed analysis of
[Mathilde Wesendonck's] relationship with Wagner ... Walton
presents the convincing (and still quite novel) view that, far from
being Wagner's 'white piece of paper,' she 'became an important
sounding-board for [his] plans and theories.
*GRAMOPHONE*
[Examines] details of extant scores and orchestral parts from
Wagner's performances of, for instance, Mozart's 'Jupiter' Symphony
... almost recreating in our minds a few moments from actual
concerts. This chapter was thrilling from start to finish.
*MUSIC & LETTERS*
Anyone interested in Wagner the man and composer should seek out
this work.
*NOTES*
[Walton's] virtuoso knowledge of day-to-day data enables [him] to
trace in detail Wagner's dealings with musicians, publishers and
others, with some surprising conclusions about Wagner the man and
artist. .. His depth of research, his discovery of important
aspects of Wagner's Zurich period, and his comments on the music,
stylistic rather than analytical, enrich us with a fuller than ever
picture of Wagner's personal and artistic development at a crucial
period.
*NINETEENTH CENTURY MUSIC REVIEW*
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