RW Stories in Development
Cosima Wagner
The Remarkable Woman Behind Composer Richard Wagner
The enduring success of Richard Wagner’s music and the survival of the Wagner family dynasty can be traced back to the tenacity, determination and talent not of the man himself, but of his second wife, Cosima. A talented musician in her own right, it was the denial of her own dreams by her egotistical father, Franz Liszt, that led Cosima to marry his peer and dedicate her life to championing Wagner's greatness above all others. It's largely thanks to Cosima that Wagner is still considered one of the most important composers of all time; it is solely because of her that absolute control of the annual Bayreuth music festival still rests with the Wagner family 150 years after its inception.
-
Sheena Lambert
WRITER/PRODUCER
Sheena Lambert is the lead writer on the Remarkable Women series. She’s from Ireland, where the troubled history and raw beauty of the landscape were the inspiration behind her novel The Lake. She grew up in County Dublin, where she worked as an environmental engineer before becoming a full-time writer. Her stories, novels and screenplays have been shortlisted in a number of prestigious UK competitions. Sheena will be writing the Cosima Wagner story as well as an episode about Alicia Adelaide Needham, an Irish composer and conductor.