Rachmaninoff's Senar and Wagner's Tribschen: Two Composer Homes on Lake Lucerne

A review compares the preservation of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Senar villa on Lake Lucerne with the treatment of Richard Wagner's nearby Tribschen. Senar, built in 1932 and now maintained by the Rachmaninoff Foundation, remains largely as the composer left it, with original furnishings, piano, and composer's desk. The house reflects Bauhaus influence and hosts concerts and lectures. In contrast, Tribschen, administered by Lucerne, features an exhibition titled "Wagner Taboo? Jewish Perspectives" that the reviewer criticizes as incomplete and biased, omitting Wagner's warm relationships with many Jewish colleagues. The review argues that Senar honors Rachmaninoff's legacy while Tribschen reduces Wagner to a "fiendish specter." Rachmaninoff, who composed his Third Symphony and Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini at Senar, is noted for his complex relationship with modernity, his love of jazz, and his Russian identity. The reviewer delivered a talk on "Rachmaninoff and Nostalgia" at Senar.