Wagner’s Venetian Idylls: David Conway is disappointed by a new study of the composer’s Italian sojourn

Wagner made nine visits to Italy throughout his life, totalling approximately 850 days. About half of this time was spent in Venice, which featured in all but two of his trips – nearly all of it (about 385 days) in two visits, separated by 25 years, in 1858 and 1883. The first of these, just over 200 days, was spent working on the second act of Tristan. The second was of course terminated by his death.

Professor Barker, a specialist in medieval Venetian history and a keen Wagnerian, has sought in this book to elucidate what Venice meant to Wagner and what Wagner has meant to Venice.