In the life of Richard Wagner, the year 1872 was marked by decisive events such as the family’s relocation to Bayreuth – the master’s new home and workplace – and the laying of the cornerstone of the Festspielhaus, which was staged to stunning effect. Next to consolidating the new festival enterprise, Wagner continued to work on the third act of “Götterdämmerung”, authored several theoretical writings on music, and pressed ahead with the publication plans for his autobiography “Mein Leben”.

The composer’s many activities are reflected in the uncommonly large number of 401 transmitted letters and telegrams which Martin Dürrer meticulously edited for this volume of the Wagner Correspondence.