Folies-Richard

When Wagner conducted his own works in Paris from 1860 and oversaw his scandalous production of Tannhäuser, the satirists were not slow to respond. Authors from the feature pages and theatre world mocked the shrill music and abstruse plot of his works as well as the blatant egocentrism of the German music dramatist. With brilliant wit and biting irony, they formed their sharp-tongued attacks, which, in the very nature of parody, inevitably contributed to Wagner's growing fame. The grotesque adaptations of his works were celebrated in café-concerts and salons. Even when his operas triumphed in France between 1891 and 1914, he remained an inexhaustible source of satirical stage art.

The work was awarded the 2024 Folkwang Preis in the category of musicology.
The Folkwang Prize is awarded annually by the Society of Friends and Patrons of the Folkwang University of the Arts.