Live performance of “Im Treibhaus” by Dorothea Fayne (Mezzo-Soprano) with Diana Wartenberg (Viola) and Uwe Streibel (Piano). Adaptation for Mezzo-Soprano, Viola and Piano written by Dorothea Fayne. Franziskushof - Pfingsten 2007.

In May of 1849 the German State Revolution was crushed by troops from Prussia and Saxon. Richard Wagner, who had played a minor role in the Revolution, was forced into exile – presumably for his writing of some manifestos, through which he publicly voted for the unification of the German States. He was officially deported by the Police on May 16, 1849 – he was so to speak exactly like a “wanted man” in our modern times. Here is an English translation of the official police description of Richard Wagner:

“Wagner is 37-38 years old, middle stature, has brown hair and wears glasses.”

Wagner and Minna fled together from Dresden to Jena (for 6 hours) and finally into Switzerland. In 1852 Richard Wagner met Otto and Mathilda Wesendonck. Otto was a devoted friend of Wagner. He even allowed Wagner to live in a small cottage on his estate from 1852-1858. Here in the little cottage, which he called “Asyl,” Richard Wagner wrote such works as “Tristan und Isolde,” the complete libretto to “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,” and the five orchestral songs known as the “Wesendonck Lieder.”

His love for Mathilde Wesendonck must have been one of his main sources of inspiration for all of these works. She was beautiful, gentle, feminine, intellegent and warm – some of which seems to have contrasted with Wagner’s wife Minna. Mathilde Wesendonck is the author of the poems for the five songs, two of which are direct studies to the writing of “Tristan und Isolde.”

“Im Treibhaus” (In the Conservatory) refers to the plants in the greenhouse of the Wesendonck Villa. It compares the yearning of two lovers with that of the yearning of the Ivy plants on the walls of the villa. The emerald Ivy stretches its leaves into heaven, like the arms of lovers around each other. There are also many references of exile and of being homeless – as if true love can only exist in heaven. These are also some of the same themes that are to be found in the opera, “Tristan und Isolde.”