“Oh! Wagner, Wagner! I Must Cry Out!”

When considering Wagner's reception in the Baltic world, it is worth bearing in mind that until the 1860s, Sweden was to some extent isolated from the discourse on Wagner. His music was indeed performed, but mainly as music at home or as concert pieces. Wagner was already being discussed during the 1850s—as is exemplified by the letters J. A. Josephson from Uppsala exchanged with Topelius—but this kind of discourse seldom became public. Nor did it appear in newspapers.

Interest in Wagner's works or ideas could, however, be kindled during travels and vacations in Germany. One of the leading Wagnerians in Sweden was August Söderman (see figure 5.1), whose enthusiasm for Wagner originated in such a journey. Söderman studied at the Leipzig Conservatory in 1856–57. On 18 December 1856, at a concert given by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, he heard Wagner's Faust Overture, which greatly influenced him. At this time, he had not yet seen a complete performance of a Wagner opera. Despite this, he was doubtlessly aware of the debate on Wagner through the news. In his letters, he reflected on the question of Wagner with an early Wagner enthusiast, Fritz Arlberg. In February 1857 he wrote to his friend:

The more Wagner was disparaged, the more Söderman's sympathy for him increased. The letter also shows that Söderman's attitude was positive even before he had had the chance to evaluate Wagner's works: could a genius like Franz Liszt be so badly mistaken?