For more
information:
Tom
Arthur
(press)
Aurelius
Fernandez, 301.907.2600
(other)
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
SEPTEMBER, 2004 ––––– The Wagner
Society of Washington, D.C. is pleased to present in a free lecture a long-time
associate of Wolfgang Wagner at the Bayreuth Festival
The False
Prophet:
The Premiere
Production of Le Prophète in Paris
And Wagner’s
Strategy of Denunciation
The program will be
open to the public on Thursday, October 21, 2004, at 7:30 P.M. at the George
Washington University, Funger Hall, 2201 G Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C.
The
Presentation. In a lecture illustrated with slides and
musical examples, Professor Bauer will explore what happened in the mind of
Richard Wagner when, as an unsuccessful exile in Paris, he was a witness in 1850
to the extraordinary success of a new work by the composer Meyerbeer, Le
Prophète. Bauer believes that
the experience resulted in two important decisions of Wagner –– to compose the
biggest opera ever, The Ring of the Nibelung; and to write a pamphlet
attacking Meyerbeer, Judaism in Music, thereby cementing his reputation
as an outspoken anti-Semite. Unable
to dethrone the superstar composer Meyerbeer, Wagner developed a strategy of
denunciation to advance his own works.
The
Speaker. Professor Bauer has held chairs at the
University of Vienna and the University of Aachen, and in Munich at the
Ludwig-Maximillian University.
Since 1986, he has been General Secretary of the Bavarian Academy of Fine
Arts in Munich. At the Richard
Wagner Festival at Bayreuth, he has been a scientific and artistic collaborator
of Wolfgang Wagner and was in charge of the Festival’s press bureau. Professor Bauer lectures throughout the
world and has published many books, including a number of Wagner exhibition
catalogues. Two of his books on
Richard Wagner have been translated into English –– Richard Wagner: The Stage
Works from the Premier to Today (1983), and Richard Wagner Goes to the
Theatre (1998).
The Wagner Society
of Washington, D.C. is a private, non-profit organization devoted to the study
and enjoyment of Richard Wagner’s art.
Many events are free to members and the public. The Society welcomes new members and
contributions at any time.
Membership information is available at the Society’s website or by
telephone.
~~~~~~~~
The Wagner Society
of Washington, D.C.
P.O. Box 33051 ~
Washington, D.C. 20033
Telephone
301.907.2600 ~ Facsimile 301.907.8671
www.wagner-dc.org