For Subscribers

Violinist Thomas Eisner: how I made it to Bayreuth

2022-12-01T08:20:00

GettyImages-665570644

Violinist Thomas Eisner talks about his time with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra

Discover more Featured Stories  like this in The Strad Playing Hub

Read more premium content for subscribers here

The earliest memories I have of Wagner’s music are somewhat mixed. I recall my paternal grandmother sitting at our upright piano in the north of England attempting to sing ‘Hojotoho!’ from Die Walküre. Although she was a trained singer, her career seems to have abruptly finished at the age of 21, when my father was born. My mother didn’t have the same love for Wagner. She remembered only too well the fanfares from Act 3 of Die Meistersinger  von Nürnberg  being broadcast through the streets of Berlin shortly before Hitler addressed the nation. At music college we performed Das Rheingold. Long and difficult, I thought, and easy to fall asleep in…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.