Mathilde Wesendonck, Isolde’s Dream

The biography of Mathilde Wesendonck is the untold and fascinating story of this woman s inspiring influence on the major works of Richard Wagner, based on facts related in their correspondence and other authentic documents. Under the influence of her aura, Wagner composed Tristan and Isolde, Rhinegold, The Walkyrie, the first two acts of Siegfried, The Meistersinger, the outline for Parsifal, and the music for the Wesendonck Lieder on Mathilde s poems. The discovery of unedited letters by author Judith Cabaud sheds new light on Wagner s life and works. After the Revolution of 1848, Wagner, like many others, found refuge in Switzerland. In Zurich, Mathilde s husband, Otto, befriended and financially supported the composer in his musical endeavors. As neighbors, Mathilde sent her poems to Wagner and received them back accompanied by the music of the Wesendonck Lieder. When he sent the poem of Tristan, it had become a reality, their reality. The two lovers then had to choose between union or separation from their respective families. Torn apart, they began a passionate exchange of letters later censored by Wagner s second wife, Cosima Liszt. Many documents were falsified or destroyed. After Wagner, Mathilde aspired to continue to be the muse of a great musician. With Brahms, she wanted to write the libretto for an opera, which the master could not compose. Her poems and her plays remained consistent with her life, which was the story of love, fidelity, and sacrifice.