Wagner: Siegfried Idyll

Wagner composed the beautiful Siegfried Idyll for his wife Cosima as a birthday gift following the birth of their son Siegfried. She awoke to the sounds of the small chamber symphony on Christmas morning in 1870. The very private piece includes melodies and motifs associated with the family and events, though Wagner later had the score published due to financial concerns. The work was written to be performed by a chamber ensemble with one person per part, though it is common in modern performance practice to perform the work with full string sections.