Wildnis 2023: Time and Timelessness in The Ring

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. Hope to see you next year!

The music and drama of The Ring quite masterfully manipulate our perceptions of time and place. There are moments when time appears to stop completely, others when we are running to keep up. Our sense of place feels timeless one moment or mired in history in others. How did Wagner achieve this? Join us as we study the alchemy conjured by the Sorcerer of Bayreuth, led by our fearless experts Simon Williams and Jeffrey Swann.

Pianist Jeffrey Swann offers his prized lecture-demonstrations at the piano.  An internationally renowned concert pianist, he is known from previous Wildnis weekends, his concert performances for the Wagner Society of Washington DC, his talks for the Smithsonian Institution Tristan und Isolde seminar in 2004, the Norn Scene for The Metropolitan Opera’s 2019 Ringproduction, and his lectures at Bayreuth.

Professor Simon Williams, Professor Emeritus after a thirty-year career at the University of California at Santa Barbara, presents his insightful lectures on Wagner and drama. His major publications include Wagner and the Romantic Hero, Richard Wagner and Festival Theater, A History of German Theatre (co-editor), and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Actors and Acting (sole editor).

The program features lecture and discussion sessions, informal conversations between sessions and at meals with lecturers and members, a DVD showing, and more.

Please note: this event is for members only. You may join at any time prior to registration by clicking here. Membership requirement will be waived for members of other Wagner Societies based in North America. Please let us know to which society you belong when you register.

Our venue, Cacapon Resort State Park, was recently featured in Travel & Liesure magazine! Click here to view the article. Located near Berkeley Springs, WVA, Cacapon is a two-hour drive from downtown Washington. See http://www.cacaponresort.com for a virtual tour.