Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Plates
- List of Figures
- Foreword
- Preface to the New Edition
- Chronology
- Chapter 1 1843–1865: Childhood and Years of Study
- Chapter 2 1866–1867: Tribschen
- Chapter 3 1868–1869: Munich
- Chapter 4 1870–1871: Brussels; Tribschen
- Chapter 5 1871–1874: Budapest
- Chapter 6 1874–1875: Budapest and Bayreuth
- Chapter 7 1875: Vienna
- Chapter 8 1876: Bayreuth
- Chapter 9 1877: London
- Chapter 10 1878–1879: Vienna
- Chapter 11 1879–1880: Friends and Enemies
- Chapter 12 1880–1881: London and Vienna
- Chapter 13 1881–1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 14 1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 15 1882–1883: The Master's Death
- Chapter 16 1884: More Opera in London
- Chapter 17 1885–1886: Vienna, London and Birmingham
- Chapter 18 1887–1888 Return to Bayreuth
- Chapter 19 1889–1900: Vienna
- Chapter 20 1897–1900: Richter and Mahler
- Chapter 21 1889–1890: England
- Chapter 22 1891–1895: England
- Chapter 23 1895–1900: England
- Chapter 24 1890–1899: Bayreuth
- Chapter 25 1894–1899: Richter's Diary
- Chapter 26 1899–1900: Hallé Orchestra
- Chapter 27 1900–1902: England
- Chapter 28 1903–1904: England
- Chapter 29 1904–1906: England
- Chapter 30 1906–1908: England
- Chapter 31 1908–1909: England
- Chapter 32 1909–1911: England
- Chapter 33 1911–1914: Retirement
- Chapter 34 1914–1916: The Last Years
- Chapter 35 Finale
- HANS RICHTER'S CONDUCTING BOOKS
- Appendix 1 Works conducted by Hans Richter
- Appendix 2 Cities and towns where Richter conducted
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 29 - 1904–1906: England
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 April 2017
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Plates
- List of Figures
- Foreword
- Preface to the New Edition
- Chronology
- Chapter 1 1843–1865: Childhood and Years of Study
- Chapter 2 1866–1867: Tribschen
- Chapter 3 1868–1869: Munich
- Chapter 4 1870–1871: Brussels; Tribschen
- Chapter 5 1871–1874: Budapest
- Chapter 6 1874–1875: Budapest and Bayreuth
- Chapter 7 1875: Vienna
- Chapter 8 1876: Bayreuth
- Chapter 9 1877: London
- Chapter 10 1878–1879: Vienna
- Chapter 11 1879–1880: Friends and Enemies
- Chapter 12 1880–1881: London and Vienna
- Chapter 13 1881–1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 14 1882: Richter and d'Albert
- Chapter 15 1882–1883: The Master's Death
- Chapter 16 1884: More Opera in London
- Chapter 17 1885–1886: Vienna, London and Birmingham
- Chapter 18 1887–1888 Return to Bayreuth
- Chapter 19 1889–1900: Vienna
- Chapter 20 1897–1900: Richter and Mahler
- Chapter 21 1889–1890: England
- Chapter 22 1891–1895: England
- Chapter 23 1895–1900: England
- Chapter 24 1890–1899: Bayreuth
- Chapter 25 1894–1899: Richter's Diary
- Chapter 26 1899–1900: Hallé Orchestra
- Chapter 27 1900–1902: England
- Chapter 28 1903–1904: England
- Chapter 29 1904–1906: England
- Chapter 30 1906–1908: England
- Chapter 31 1908–1909: England
- Chapter 32 1909–1911: England
- Chapter 33 1911–1914: Retirement
- Chapter 34 1914–1916: The Last Years
- Chapter 35 Finale
- HANS RICHTER'S CONDUCTING BOOKS
- Appendix 1 Works conducted by Hans Richter
- Appendix 2 Cities and towns where Richter conducted
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
After the 1904 Covent Garden season Richter travelled to Bayreuth to conduct one cycle of the Ring. Correspondence between him and Cosima in 1903 had been largely devoted to the American performances of Parsifal, although Richter also reported very favourably on his new annual association with the Royal Opera House. His letters revealed that he had been given twenty-five orchestral rehearsals for the Ring and gave a detailed assessment of the principal singers should they be considered for Bayreuth. His letters describing the opera season of 1904 are similar, with Destinn and Ternina singled out for the highest praise. Richter did not get much pleasure out of conducting the Italian singers in the two Mozart operas:
Only the Donna Anna of Destinn was splendid; she has learnt something at Bayreuth. … Ternina as Isolde and Elisabeth outshone everybody else. … Van Rooy has retained a lot from Bayreuth in his Sachs, but he barked his Telramund and Kurwenal. As Tristan and Tannhäuser Burrian was, vocally and musically, a model of security, but he is too short and his face has a comic look about it. A pity! Otherwise he is a splendid and dear fellow who involves himself enthusiastically.
Richter shared the 1904 Bayreuth Ring with Cosima's son-in-law (Isolde's husband) Franz Beidler. Muck shared Parsifal with another newcomer to the podium, Michael Balling, a viola player at Bayreuth since 1886, who assisted Richter over the years and would take over the Hallé after his mentor's retirement in 1911 until the First World War intervened. Richter approved highly of Balling, not just because of his innate musicianship but also because, like Richter himself, he had emerged as a conductor after years in the orchestra. The last time Richter played the viola in public (rather than chamber music at home) was on 25 February 1884 when he played in Liszt's Hungarian Coronation Mass in Pressburg Cathedral under the composer. He still maintained a great fondness for the instrument (Berlioz's Harold in Italy was often in his programmes), although Archie Camden recalled his outburst ‘Violas, what are they? Horn players who have lost their teeth.’ The young Lionel Tertis recalled Richter:
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- Information
- Hans Richter , pp. 371 - 383Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2016