Influences from ‘Tristan’ in Spanish Opera: Wagnerism in the operas by Conrado del Campo

Abstract

In spite of its importance and impact to Spanish music of the first half of twentieth century, Conrado del Campo’s output, and particularly his operas, have unfairly been forgotten. This article examines Conrado del Campo’s early operas, which reflect a Wagnerian influence and his interest in the development of Spanish opera. Original sources such as the manuscript scores, newspapers reviews and letters written by the composer himself have been consulted and special attention has been paid to the operas El final de Don Álvaro and La tragedia del beso, music dramas heavily infl uenced by Wagner’s Tristan.