The Richard Wagner Complete Edition presents the composer’s entire output for the first time in a reliable form. The conductor Michael Balling, in the early years of the 20th century, attempted to make Wagner‘s work more accessible for research and performance, but the edition only reached 10 volumes – some with grave shortcomings – and was discontinued after Balling‘s death in 1925. A further attempt at a complete edition by Otto Strobel was abandoned at the preliminary stages.This third attempt at a complete edition will be the first scholarly, critical edition, based on an evaluation of all the accessible source materials and the latest findings of serious Wagner research. As the edition is also intended for practical performance, the musical text has been kept free of philological insertions; these are listed in the appendices of each volume in the Critical Commentary. Numerous, partly unpublished works – some relatively unknown – and variant versions are published here for the first time. The edition presents authentic texts for Wagner specialists and researchers and critically based performing materials. Contrary to widely held opinions, even the well-known works of Wagner are not necessarily available in reliable editions. The genesis, history and performances directed by Wagner himself are extensively documented so as to present as complete an image as possible of Wagner‘s compositional intentions.

Sieben Kompositionen zu Goethes Faust (WWV 15): Nr. 1 Lied der Soldaten; Nr. 2 Bauer unter der Linde; Nr. 3 Branders Lied; Nr. 4 Lied des Mephistopheles; Nr. 5 Lied des Mephistopheles; Nr. 6 Gretchen am Spinnrad; Nr. 7 Melodram - Der Tannenbaum (WWV 50) - Dors mon enfant ... (WWV 53) - Extase [Fagment] (WWV 54) - Attente (WWV 55) - La tombe dit à la rose ... [Fragment] (WWV 56) - Mignonne (WWV 57) - Tout n'est qu'images fugitives [Soupir] (WWV 58) - Les deux grenadiers (WWV 60) - Adieux de Marie Stuart (WWV 61) - Gruß seiner Treuen an Friedrich August den Geliebten bei seiner Zurückkunft aus England den 9. August 1844 (WWV 71B) - In der Kindheit frühen Tagen [Der Engel, 1. Fassung] - Sag‘, welch wunderbare Träume... [Träume, 1. Fassung] - Schmerzen! [1. Fassung] - Sausendes, brausendes Rad der Zeit... [Stehe still, 1. Fassung] - Im Treibhause [1. Fassung] - Im Treibhause [2. Fassung] - Fünf Gedichte für eine Frauenstimme mit Pianoforte-Begleitung (Wesendonck-Lieder) (WWV 91A): Nr 1 Der Engel [2. Fassung]; Nr. 2 Stehe still! [2. Fassung]; Nr. 3 Im Treibhaus [3. Fassung]; Nr. 4 Schmerzen [3. Fassung]; Nr. 5 Träume [3. Fassung] - Kritischer Bericht