wagner composed the opera between 1857 and 1859. it was first performed, with hans von bülow conducting, in munich on 10 june 1865. many musicians think it is the greatest opera of the 19th century. wagner’s dramatic handling of the story had enormous influence on many composers of the time. his harmonies were also an extremely important development in the language of romantic music. not everybody liked it. in particular, the music critic eduard hanslick said that he could not understand it.