Richard Wagner only referred to one of his operas repeatedly and specifically as his “masterpiece”: his “Meistersinger von Nürnberg”. From the initial creative idea until its completion, the great poet-composer occupied himself for almost three decades with this material. Between his early notes from 1845 and the completion of the opera in 1867, Wagner wrote most of his other major works, including the opera “Tristan and Isolde”. One reason why Wagner only returned to the light-hearted subject of what can truly be described as a “popular opera” in the 1860s in order to bring it to completion was the fact that the composer, weighed down by many different projects, constantly struggling for recognition and financial success, ceaselessly travelling and working, simply could not find the time necessary to give the content of his operatic writing a new direction with the “Meistersinger”. But once finished, it became one of the most important works of Wagner, for it created a whol enew sound in opera music.
Wagner for wind ensemble? The question is irrelevant if we remember that Wagner himself composed several works for symphonic wind ensemble. In addition to this, he arranged some of his own works on commission for military bands, e.g. “Tannhäuser”. Wagner never rejected the idea of arranging sections of his works for wind ensemble, as they aided his efforts to gain recognition in the eyes of a wider public.
