{"product_id":"9781574674910","title":"Mathilde Wesendonck, Isolde's Dream","description":"Truly great compositions spring  like Athena from Zeus' skull  at the juncture of genius and passion. In ÊMathilde Wesendonck: Isolde's DreamÊ  author Judith Cabaud calls on a host of heretofore undiscovered resources to tell the story of Mathilde Wesendonck  muse and paramour to Richard Wagner and  later  Johannes Brahms. Alma Mahler  eat your heart out.ÞIn or about August 1857  Richard Wagner's character changed. He abandoned ÊDer Ring des NibelungenÊ  the Gesamtkunstwerk he'd begun work on nearly a decade earlier  tore through a short set of songs now known as the ÊWesendonck LiederÊ  and dove headlong into ÊTristan und IsoldeÊ   eine Handlung  whose seminal influence would ricochet down the ensuing century of Western romantic music. Why the dramatic shift?ÞWagner had been struck by lightning ä twice. The first bolt was sighted across Europe; his name was Arthur Schopenhauer. The second was restricted to a insular social world centered at the estate of Otto Wesendonck  one of Wagner's patrons. Her name was Mathilde Wesendonck  and this is her story.","brand":"Judith Cabaud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46944514605374,"sku":"9781574674910","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/products\/9781574674910_5b65dff1-7aab-4d8a-ab7e-5be381f6b3dd.jpg?v=1707559079","url":"https:\/\/exclusivebooks.co.za\/products\/9781574674910","provider":"Exclusive Books Online","version":"1.0","type":"link"}