# Wagner’s Tempos



## Music Snob (Nov 14, 2018)

https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/80546/8/COJ Richter article revised.pdf

Edward Dannreuther took metronome markings of a Rheingold rehearsal under Richter. Apparently Das Rheingold, as a whole, would've been quite quick.

I have found the above paper to be interesting and revealing. Certainly Wagner was no "time beater", nor would he have expected that approach from any conductor. Still, anyone who appreciates his music here may be surprised to learn what may have been Wagner's original intentions.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The unprecedented complexity of Wagner's operatic music must certainly have caused musicians of the time to imagine that its elements would require more time to execute than Wagner intended them to. It's been noted, here and elsewhere, that his violin parts are sometimes virtually unplayable at tempos that the music otherwise seems to require. It isn't surprising that Wagner often had to chide his conductors for dragging.

This article ought to be of interest to conductors especially. It gives one an appreciation of the enormous challenges of bringing Wagner's scores to life in a way that comprehends both their dramatic significance and their musical structure. I suspect that this may be among the biggest challenges a conductor can take on, and reading this has actually given me renewed respect for those who do it effectively.


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