Wagner and Belonging
A Wagner Society Manchester talk on Monday 21 September 2026, at 19:00 via Zoom, by Dr Nicholas Vazsonyi
A hitherto under-explored topic in Wagner’s life and stage works is the theme of belonging, and its opposite, not belonging, However, upon closer reflection, “belonging” turns out to be a central concern, and at many different levels, from Wagner’s own biography down to the situations and motivations of his main dramatic characters, not to mention the budding national question of belonging that preoccupied Germans throughout the 19th century. How did Wagner represent “belonging” and its inverse musically? This talk will explore these and other related questions and provide a brief introduction to this surprisingly rich and as yet unexplored topic that has become so important in today’s conversations about inclusivity.
Nicholas Vazsonyi is an American academic, author, and artistic director. Since 2023, he has been Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Clemson University. He has authored articles on German national identity, German literature and culture of the 18th through to the 20th centuries, and the cultural intersections of music, literature and film. He is the author of “Richard Wagner: Self-Promotion and the Making of a Brand,” and has conceived and edited several volumes, including The Cambridge Wagner Encyclopedia and, with Mark Berry, the Cambridge Companion to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. He is the Co-Editor of WagnerSpectrum, and serves on the advisory board of the Wagner Society of New York and the journal Leitmotive.
As usual, members of the Society will be sent the zoom link nearer the time.
Non-members wishing to attend should contact susi.manchesterwagnersociety@gmail.com for details of how to attend the meeting.
All are warmly invited to come along to what should be a fascinating talk