• Provisional Theatre orchestra: participating orchestra
• Estates Theatre orchestra: participating orchestra
• WAGNER, Richard: director of ensemble

Initial news of Wagner’s intention to give a concert in Prague in the autumn of 1863 was published by the German-language newspaper Prager Morgenpost on 15/10/1863 in a brief item of news relating: ‘Richard Wagner is to arrange a concert here in the course of November’. The source speculated too on whether he might conduct one of his operas too. The following day, 16/10/1863, Prager Morgenpost reported that Wagner was intending to perform in the concert he was arranging in Prague his composition „Wallkürenritt“ [Ride of the Valyries].

The first detailed news of the concert given in Prague by Richard Wagner on 5/11/1863 first published by the German-language newspaper Prager Morgenpost 3/11/1863 appeared in a report relating: ‘Programme to the great Musical entertainment, which takes place on Thursday 5th November at 4.30pm under Richard Wagner’s personal direction in the Žofín Island Hall: 1) Prelude to „Lohengrin“ 2) a) Assembly of the Meistersinger b) Pegner’s [Pogner] Address. 3) Cobbler’s song [Schusterlied] of Hans Sachs (new) sung by Mr Rokitanský. 4) Prelude to Die Meistersingers. 5) a) Prelude, and b) Transfiguration [Schlußfaß] (new) from „Tristan und Isolde“. 6) Siegmund’s Love song, sung by Mr Bernard. 7) Ride of the Valkyrie (new). 8) Siegfried’s Forging songs [Schmiedelieders] sung by Mr Bachmann. a) Smelting song [Schmelzlied] (new). b) Hämmerlied (new).’ This issue of Prager Morgenpost also reported that a performance [in the Estates Theatre] would be given that day (3/11/1863) of the opera Der fliegende Holländer. Apparently Lohengrin was to have been performed on that occasion but the programme was changed owing to the hoarseness of Mr Bachmann.

Rehearsals for this first concert took place on 4/11/1863 and 5/11/1863 under Wagner’s direction, and are noted in separate database records. Prager Morgenpost noted too in its issue of 2/11/1863 that Wagner was also to give a second concert ‘next Sunday’.

The daily almanac of Prague social and musical events appearing in Prager Morgenpost 5/11/1863 noted: ‘Concert of Mr Richard Wagner in the Žofín Island Hall.’

A drawn out review, signed ‘-ý.’, of the concert was published by Prager Morgenpost 7/11/1863. The correspondent, evidently critical of Wagner’s musical style, wrote: ‘Concert. The anticipation long held by our art lovers of being able to greet Richard Wagner once again after an interval of more than half a year, with the same crying out of the innermost ardour, just as on the occasion of his first appearance [8/2/1863], when he was made so wholly welcome, was finally satisfied on Thursday.

Before an audience that filled the capacious hall of the Žofín Island as completely as could be – and that brought with it all the necessary inner suspense and power of understanding, such as is necessary for the complete, clear, correct interpretation, without scruple, of all Wagner’s works – the great master’s compositions, presented here as operatic fragments and for the most part unadorned by any further seasoning, were inaugurated here in a way that demands absolutely a full familiarity with the works of the „great reformer“. Yet the extent to which this familiarity with Wagner’s compositions has become firmly established for the time being remains unclear: for intentique ora tenebant; and the truth, the reality of the matter, has yet to come to light. As specifically concerns the music, I do not wish to go into that here without embarking further upon an analysis of the varied programme, which consisted of excerpts, for the most part purely instrumental, a few of them vocal with orchestral accompaniment, in which, in addition to Die Meistersinger, Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre and Siegfried, we were delighted to hear a new piece, Das Schmelz- und Hammerlied [suggesting that this critic did not realise that these were extracts from Siegfried]. Still, a few remarks may be appropriate here that may throw some light onto the curious manner with which Wagner treats melody and rhythm (to say nothing of modulation). — Two elements create melody: the rhythmic and the harmonic. The more fundamental of the two is rhythm, since this can form a sort of melody even in the absence of the other. Nevertheless, a fully-developed melody requires both elements, and consists of an alternating separation and reconciliation of the two. In Wagner’s compositions this separation and reconciliation play the principal rle; he allows them to appear alone or combined, whereby – although it is in this [the separation and reconciliation] comprise the essence of the melody – he carefully avoids the reconciliation, always „harping“ (to put it plainly) on chromaticisms [„herumreiten“ lit. sticking to, habitual. The implication is that habitual chormaticism is over-used and spins out the music to its detriment]... In Wagner the use of suspension also deserves some examination. There is dissonance – and it is well known that the present great music hero [Wagner] loves dissonances very much – it is a dissonance in which the final consonance [i.e. the resolution of the dissonance], anticipated with certainty, is delayed, so that the desire for it increases and its arrival is all the more satisfying. Harmonic progression consists only of an artistically adept alternation of dissonance and consonance. Now a sequence of merely dissonant chords, however, constitute the abandonment of an unsatisfied wish [for resolution], and this dissatisfaction is in fact the kernel of all Wagner’s music. I refer here by way of an example solely to the Walkürenritt which, perhaps precisely for this reason, to be comprehended, had to be repeated. It would however have been better for this distinction to have fallen on the prelude to Lohengrin with which the concert began.

The performance, whose solo numbers were admirably performed by Messrs Bachmann, Bernard and Rokitanský, under the energetic direction of the composer, naturally electrified all its listeners, whose tokens of applause took the widest range of forms. On appearing, Wagner was presented with a laurel wreath, given to him by the orchestra leader, Professor Mildner.’