Program notes
The unknown story of Richard Wagner's youthful symphony.
This documentary by Gianni di Capua is set in a timeless Venice magically evoked through photographic glass negatives, and brought to life by voice-overs that recount the unpublished story of the last days of Richard Wagner's life. A letter from the great composer himself, a book published just after his death and the diary of his wife Cosima reveal the fascinating story of a rediscovered symphony, a youthful composition composed by Wagner when he was barely 19 years old and brought to light a few days before his sudden death in a lagoon; a symphony that had, many years earlier, represented the birth of the German composer's musical poetry and awareness of his genius.