Richard Wagner: The Man and the Music

Presented by: Simon Williams Coordinated by: Gerry Corrigan Tuesdays, February 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2019 9:30 a.m. – 12 noon Veronica Springs Church 949 Veronica Springs Road, Santa Barbara

This four-session course presents one of the greatest and most controversial opera composers the world has ever known, Richard Wagner (1813–1883).  Session 1 will focus on Wagner: The Man, His Music, and His Theatre. It will include a short overview of Wagner’s life, with attention paid to his frequently controversial and always interesting style and personality, his colorful sex life, and his relationship with King Ludwig II of Bavaria. This talk will also present excerpts from Wagner’s immensely popular early Romantic operas, in preparation for a more detailed discussion of The Ring.  Session 2 will focus on The Ring of the Nibelung, a four-opera, 16-hour-long story that some consider the most monumental work of art ever created. The lust for power, the lure of gold, the beauty of nature, and the destructive impulses of man produce a story that was of compelling interest to his own time and still applies to ours. We will also explore how Wagner used the leitmotiv to give coherence to a remarkably complex drama.  Session 3 will focus on Die Walkure, probably the best known of the Ring tetralogy. The New York Met in HD Broadcast of the opera will be shown on March 30 at the Metro Cinema in Santa Barbara, with an encore of the performance on April 28 at the Music Academy of the West.  Session 4 will focus on The Ring in Performance, with video extracts from both early and contemporary productions from around the world. We will also explore the unique properties of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre, which was built specifically for the production of The Ring.

Deadline for registration: January 30, 2019

Enrollment form: Richard Wagner: The Man and the Music Tuesdays, February 5, 12, 19, and 25, 2019 VISTAS members $50; non-members $75

 EITHER pay online on our website by secure credit card through PayPal: www.vistaslifelonglearning.org/upcoming.html

 OR mail this form and your check to: VISTAS Lifelong Learning, Inc. P.O. Box 23228, Santa Barbara CA 93121

Number of persons ______$ ______Check # ______

Name(s):______

Phone: ______Email: ______

Simon Williams, now retired, was a Professor in the Department of Theater and Dance at UCSB for over 30 years. He has published widely in the fields of European continental theatre, the history of acting,

Shakespearean performance, and operatic history. His major publications include German Actors of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries; Shakespeare on the German Stage 1586–1914; Richard Wagner and Festival Theatre; Richard Wagner and the Romantic Hero. In addition, he has contributed numerous articles in his fields of specialty and is also an active reviewer for opera publications. Professor Williams is on the boards of Opera Santa Barbara and The Ensemble Theatre.

SIEGFRIED TANNHÄUSER DIE WALKURE

VISTAS Calendar — Winter/Spring 2019 Seminar/Event Inclusive dates Time Venue Vistas Winter Social Sunday, January 27 12:30 pm Music Academy of the West Nonfiction Book Club 2nd Thursday monthly 1:30 pm Vista del Monte/Sierra Madre Lounge Documentary Film Club 3rd Thursday monthly 2:00 pm Maravilla Theater Lesser-Known Heroes and Rogues Weds., Jan. 9, 16, 23 9:30 am Veronica Springs Church Let’s Talk Art! (SBMA Docents) Mon., Jan. 28; Feb. 4, 11 9:30 am Goleta Library Richard Wagner: The Man and the Music Tues., Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 9:30 am Veronica Springs Church Ensemble Theatre: Death of a Salesman Sunday, Feb. 10 1:00 pm Arts & Culture Ctr. + New Vic Theatre God Save This Honorable Court Mon., Mar. 4, 11, 18 9:30 am Music Academy of the West Is This How Fascism Comes to America? Mon., Mar. 25 9:30 am Music Academy of the West Annual Short Story Discussion Group Wed., Mar. 6, 13, 20, 27 1:00 pm Private home 10 Key Turning Pts., Western Civiliz. Mon., Apr. 1, 8, 15 9:30 am Venue TBD Kipling: Poet of the British Empire Wed., Apr. 10, 17, 24 9:30 am Venue TBD Émigré Musicians in Interwar America Wed., May 1, 8, 15 9:30 am Venue TBD Beauty, Sex, and Evolution Mon., May 6, 13, 20 1:00 pm Farrand Hall / SB Mus. of Nat. History Building a Botanical Nirvana: Lotusland Tues., May 21, 28 9:30 am Lotusland Memory Lane: Guided Writing Expedition Wed., May 22, 29; June 5, 12 9:30 am Private home