Not everyone is a fan of annual mottos – just like last year, when I was continually running into the Prussian King Frederick the Great who happened to celebrate his 100th anniversary: potatoes here, his flute playing there, Potsdam and Prussia everywhere! What the radio stations wouldn’t mention, was Fritzen’s lack of popularity in Saxony…
This year’s jubilee who – if he still could – would enjoy his 200th birthday party, is a similarly discussed character. He is a famous composer who lived in a lot of places: Paris, Riga, Bayreuth, Leipzig and, not last but rather first – Dresden. We’re talking about Richard Wagner. Yeah, right, the famous WAGNER! He lived here for 16 years, which makes Dresden the cities he stayed at for the longest time. Here he spent his childhood and became the director of the famous orchestra Sächsische Staatskapelle. After he took part in the Saxon anti-monarchy revolution of 1849, he had to close the chapter Dresden as a refugee.
All this is a good reason for the city to call out for a music-inspired motto year. Not only can you listen to a lot of WAGNER operas and concertos, but also visit the Stadtmuseum Dresden that hosts a special exposition to celebrate the composer. There, we learn about Dresden places where Wagner set his foot but also odd facts about his private life. If you’re up for even more, take a trip to the little village of Graupa about 20 km southeast of Dresden that hosts a full-size WAGNER museum in two houses. Remarkable, given that he spent only two months there on a summer vacation…
But don’t you worry: unless you really insist on it, we will not go on and on about WAGNER on our guided tours – we still have Augustus the Strong… 😉