In Zurich, on 23rd December 1857, a young woman lay fast asleep in an enormous bed on the top floor of a lavish villa. It was her 29th birthday. Several storeys below, a quiet commotion was ensuing. At the base of the staircase that spiralled up to her chamber, the German composer, Richard Wagner, was conducting a small orchestra in the villa’s spacious hall.
Already a subscriber? Login to your account
Already a subscriber? Login to your account
Subscribe to Reaction for just £8/month and receive unlimited access to the site, our daily email with analysis every evening and invites to online events.
Includes Iain Martin’s weekly newsletter on politics, daily columnists including Tim Marshall, Maggie Pagano and Adam Boulton. Unlimited access to all the stories by our brilliant team of journalists, our daily email with analysis every evening and Reaction Weekend featuring coverage of life, culture and sport. Plus invites to our events. Your support also helps us offer training to the journalists of the future through our Young Journalists Programme.
Is it really a compliment for one’s home to be described as “vibrant”?
Ring heads and Ring virgins alike descended on the Cotswolds for an evening of Wagner at Longborough Festival Opera.
Spectators arguably owe the grand scale of today’s opening ceremonies to cold war rivalry.
Subscribe to Reaction and receive unlimited access to the site, our daily email with analysis every evening and invites to online events.
© Copyright 2024 Reaction Digital Media Limited – All Rights Reserved. Registered Company in England & Wales – Company Number: 10166531.
