Wagner Lived Here

This post is dedicated to Frank, who believes strongly enough in Wagner's importance (in music history, in life) that he's got me thinking about it too.

Richard Wagner's operas have been argued over, adored, boycotted, banned, and embraced by Parisians ever since the Jockey Club first torpedoed an 1861 performance of Tannhäuser, Wagner's first in the city. But all's well that ends well, and today, for proof that Wagner is firmly entrenched in Parisian musical culture, we can look beyond programs for concert series and the Opéra, which are both obvious and superficial. More permanent evidence can be found in the "Wagner Lived Here" plaques that have sprung up around the city.

The plaque on the left tells us that Wagner lived in this building on Rue Jacob in the St.-Germain-des-Prés area of the 6th arrondissement from October 30, 1841, to April 7, 1842. He moved to Paris in 1839 - still waiting to come across the other plaque(s) to learn about where he lived. Another period missing is his 1849 visit, which occurred when he fled Dresden after participating in the revolutionary fervor that swept Europe around that time. The plaque on the right commemorates Wagner's residence between October, 1860 and July, 1861 in this building on the Rue d'Aumale (just around the corner from the salon that hosted my concert two weeks ago). During this stint, he oversaw preparations for the Parisian premiere of Tannhäuser - organized by the Princesse de Metternich and offered as a "command" performance of Emperor Napoleon III - which ultimately ended in scandal, failure, and Wagner's hasty departure from the city. The third time was the charm, apparently, as he never returned.

If you look closely enough at the plaques, you'll see that the first one was put up by "Les Amis de Richard Wagner," and the second by "Les Cercles Wagner de France." Talk about a rock star - Wagner has had multiple fan clubs in Paris. Do you think my various fan clubs will put plaques up at all of my Paris/Vincennes residences in 150 years?