Wagner's Das Liebesverbot

In 1997, the Teatro Real—whose construction was commissioned in 1850 by Queen Isabella was returned to its 19th-century luster and reputation for musical excellence, with Madrid’s symphonic orchestra and choir there in permanent residence. Under the baton of Ivor Bolton, they present Das Liebesverbot, Wagner’s early two-act opera in a staging by Kasper Holten.

“...music oft hath such a charm to make bad good, and good provoke to harm” warns Duke Vincentio in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. The 21-year-old Wagner ignored these cautionary words setting the celebrated play to a score that mixes the styles of Donizetti and German Singspiel with that of his own developing artistic voice. Laced with echoes of later works like Tannhäuser, Das Liebesverbot is a testament to the young genius’ early musical efforts and hard work that would soon bear fruit beyond his wildest dreams.