THURSDAY, July 23, 2020
Wagner Concert Overture No. 2 in C major 1832
Wagner the teenage composer…
Wagner composed his Concert Overture No. 2 in C major and conducted the first performance himself. Compositions don’t instantly appear, so it is likely this music was in the works while he was still a teen.
Still highly influenced by other composers…
Beethoven’s influence is mentioned again and again, along with several other composers including Carl Maria von Weber, but I hear bits and pieces of many other composers. However, there are elements here and there that are unique to Wagner.
This was never published…
Wagner apparently rediscovered later in life. It was included in a concert in May 1873 celebrating Wagner’s 60th birthday, for which he made some slight adjustments to the score. It is possible that this prompted him to consider publishing the overture—but in the event, he decided against it, and it appeared in print only posthumously.