Wagner's Cello - a talk by Dr. Richard Jenkins This talk will investigate some of Wagner’s more idiosyncratic string writing and its influence on composers and performers of future generations. Examples of Wagner’s pioneering string writing can be found in abundance from the serene opening of Lohengrin, the scurrying semiquavers of Flying Dutchman or… Continue reading Wagner’s Cello
Wagner in Venice Simon Rees Monday 8th November Richard Wagner spent two significant periods in Venice, the first in 1858 when he went there from Zurich after the breakdown of his marriage over his friendship with the poet Mathilde von Wesendonck, and the second in 1883, when he and Cosima, his second wife, wintered… Continue reading Wagner in Venice
Opus Metaphysicum: an empty phrase? In ‘Richard Wagner in Bayreuth’, Nietzsche described Tristan und Isolde as an “opus metaphysicum”. Dr Fend of King’s College, London asks, ‘Do philosophical concepts still offer any context to listen to, and think about Wagner’s operas today? Michael Fend studied Musicology (with Carl Dahlhaus), German Literature and Philosophy at the… Continue reading Opus Metaphysicum: an empty phrase?
