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Wagner Society in NSW Inc
Program of events - Archive

See Also Stop Press News and other Wagner-related activities  and Past Events and Speakers

Date

  Society Event

Location
2010    

23 May

12.30 pm
DVD of Act 2 of Tristan und Isolde)

2 pm
The Society's AGM, including a recital by Emma Moore and Simone Easthope (sopranos), and Morgan Pearse (baritone) followed by a celebration of the 197th anniversary of Richard Wagner's birth (on 22 May 1813)

Goethe-Institut*

18 April

12.15
DVD of Act 1 of Tristan und Isolde)

2 pm
Dr Terence Watson will talk on ‘Wagner and Friendship’, a chapter in his forthcoming book on ‘Wagner and Philosophy'

Goethe-Institut*

28 March

12.30
DVD of Act 3 of Parsifal

2 pm
Professor Heath Lees will be 'Lifting the Lid on Wagner’s Piano'. 
Heath will be touring the Australian Wagner Societies with this talk, and his last stop will be Sydney.  He's giving a presentation to the Wagner Ring-centenary conference in Lisbon (Portugal) towards the end of this year, about the rise of “Wagner-pianists” past and present, and his talk will be developed from that. It will cover how Wagner regarded and used the piano in his life and in his way of composing, as well as showing examples of Wagner-pianists through the ages — those who used the piano as a means of teaching and evangelising on behalf of Wagner and his music.

Goethe-Institut*

21 Feb

At 12:45 pm we'll be showing a very traditional production of Act 2 of Parsifal, with Franz Mazura (Klingsor), Waltraud Meier (Kundry) and Siegfried Jerusalem (Parsifal) from the New York Metropolitan Opera, conductor James Levine, directed by Otto Schenk (filmed in 1993).
At 2:00 pm Peter Bassett will give a talk on ‘The Operas Wagner Almost Wrote’.
Peter has provided the following introduction to his talk
This will be about ‘the great composer as he is rarely seen: the creator of such non-Wagnerian characters as the theatre prompter who can’t stop sneezing, the young man who makes his living dressed as a bear, and the poet who addresses his audience from a hot air balloon.  Peter will also discuss the visionary composer who planned dramas dealing with the lives of Jesus and the Buddha, and relations between the west and Islam.  This talk will explore Wagner’s many unfinished works and show how these anticipate dramatically and textually the great music dramas of his maturity.  Peter’s preparations for this talk have formed part of his research for a forthcoming book on Wagner and Verdi, whose bicentenaries will be celebrated in 2013.’

  

29 November

2 pm (Please note starting time) DVD
Our end of year function DVD is called ‘Simone Young - to Hamburg from Downunder’. It's 52 minutes long, and in German with English subtitles. 
3 pm
End of year function.Our Christmas Party. Please bring a plate.

Goethe-Institut*

8 November

Program

12:15  DVD of Act 1 of the Wolfgang Wagner production of Parsifal, filmed in June/July 1981 and conducted by Horst Stein.  Amfortas is sung by Bernd Weikl, Titurel by Matti Salminen, Gurnemanz by Hans Sotin, Parsifal by Siegfried Jerusalem and Kundry by Eva Randova. The DVD will finish at 1:55
2:00  Antony Ernst will speak about the Ring: ‘From Malediction to Valediction - curses and dramatic resolution in Wagner.’
3:30  Afternoon tea.

Goethe-Institut*

October 18

Your Committee is delighted to advise that the next Society function will showcase the talents of some of our emerging artists. Member Louis Garrick has prepared a recital that promises to be spectacularly enjoyable. The program is below.

Wagner
Pilgrim’s Chorus from Tannhauser arranged for piano duet
Louis Garrick and Jack Symonds
Berg
Seven Early Songs
Emma Moore soprano, Louis Garrick piano
Wagner
Seven scenes from Parsifal arranged by Humperdinck for piano duet
Jack Symonds and Chad Vindin

We hope that you will cancel other plans and come to this concert – and please bring your friends.

Parsifal has yet to be performed on stage in Sydney and has been seldom been performed in concert, so hearing any of it live in any form is a rarity! Your Committee is proud that it has been possible to organise such an event,

‘A staged performance of Parsifal has eluded Sydney audiences, but Brisbane 's 1995 Biennial International Music Festival included a concert performance, and in 2001 the State Opera of South Australia premiered Elke Neidhardt's Parsifal , the first staging of this work in Australia’  (Extract from our President’s Report, May 2005)

The function will be held at the Goethe Insitut. Please note that the recital will commence at 2pm.

At 12 noon there will be a DVD of Acts 2 and 3 of The Flying Dutchman.

Goethe Institut

September 20

At 1pm
There will be of a film of the Dutchman, to put members in the mood for the new production of the Flying Dutchman which opens in Adelaide on Saturday 7 November. 
The film stars Donald MacIntyre as the Dutchman, Catarina Ligendza as Senta, Bengt Rundgren as Daland, and Hermann Winkler as Erik, and was filmed at the Bavarian Studios, Munich over 4 weeks in late 1974. 
The music, which was recorded in May of that year, features the Bavarian State Orchestra and Opera Chorus under Wolfgang Sawallish.
The film is utterly traditional. Act 1 lasts under 50 minutes, and we'll show acts 2 and 3 before our next meeting on October 18.
At 2 pm
There will be a discussion of the current Bayreuth productions, led by members who attended the first, second and third cycles.
Colleen Chesterman is organising a general discussion of the things which thrilled, impressed, disappointed, puzzled or surprised members. Some of them were "Bayreuth Virgins" and their viewpoint will be particularly interesting.  Jim Leigh will then discuss the new production of Parsifal at Bayreuth, and Terence Watson will discuss the new Lohengrin in Munich, and two contrasting productions of Tristan.

Goethe Institut

July 19

12.30 A re-screening of ‘Katharina Wagner’s Feuertaufe (Baptism of Fire)’

2pm Recital by the cream of the Sydney Conservatorium - Not to be missed. Make a diary entry now!

Draft Program

Overture to Die Meistersinger arranged for four hands (pending availability of score)
Tom Johnson, Stephen Whale; Piano
Beethoven: Sonata in E Flat Major op. 27 no. 1
Tom Johnson, Piano
Scriabin: Sonata no. 4 in F Sharp Minor
Stephen Whale, Piano
Interval
Wagner: 5 songs
Jared Lillehagen, Baritone
Stephen Whale, Piano
Brahms Rhapsody in B Minor
Stephen Whale, Piano
Liszt/Wagner Isolde’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Tom Johnson, Piano

Goethe Institut

MONDAY March 23

5 30 pm
Video - Katharina Wagner's 2007 Bayreuth Meistersinger production

7 pm
Special Event: Professor Heath Lees will talk on 'Wagner, the Dutchman and the Sea'. This talk will be an introduction the Adelaide production of The Dutchman. If you are interested in joining Professor Lees later for dinner please let Roger know.

Wagner, The Dutchman and the Sea - A Lecture/Presentation by Heath Lees
The Flying Dutchman was Wagner’s first major step away from the operas of his day towards a new kind of music-drama.  For the first time, Wagner based his work on the story — in his words the ‘folk-poem’ — of a mythical figure.  In the Dutchman, he saw humanity’s storm-tossed wrestling with Fate, its yearning for peace and fulfilment, and its defiant rejection of Death as the Last Word on everything.

As everyone knows, this grand scheme inspired Wagner with a powerful text and wonderful music, and helped him build a much deeper connection between the two.  Less well known is the fact that the sea and its mariners actually provided the source of all the surface details and underlying swells that made Wagner’s new music such an enthralling language.

In this presentation, using piano and DVD examples, Heath Lees traces out Wagner’s musical and operatic background around 1839, when he first began to conceive The Flying Dutchman.  He then shows how the liberating influence of the sea sets the course for the drama, and creates an all-embracing force for the music’s constantly changing currents.

Heath Lees

After 25 years, Heath Lees recently retired as Professor of Music at the University of Auckland.  During this period he and his wife jointly established the Wagner Society of New Zealand, and he made a reputation for himself as a speaker and radio broadcaster on Wagnerian topics. 

Heath has been the guest of Australian Wagner Societies on many occasions, and has recently lectured (in fluent Scottish) to the Wagner Society of Scotland, and (in broken French) to the Cercle Wagnérien at Toulouse.  His last visit to Australia (2007) coincided with the publication of his book ‘Mallarmé and Wagner: Music and Poetic Language’ (Ashgate, UK).

Heath is also known as a composer and reviewer, and was for many years a TV host on New Zealand Television’s weekly arts programmes ‘Opus’ and ‘Kaleidoscope’.  His current projects include a book on Beethoven, and a series of radio programmes on ‘Musical Markers’.  He now divides his time between France and New Zealand.

Goethe Institut

 

Sunday March 15

 

12.30pm
Video - Katharina Wagner's 2007 Bayreuth Meistersinger production

2pm 
Warwick Fyfe will give a talk on 'Coming to Wagner' - a sequel to his popular talk in 2008.

Goethe Institut

Sunday February 15

12.30pm
Prior to Peter Basset’s talk, we’ll be showing a documentary entitled “Katharina Wagner’s Baptism of Fire, The Road to her Debut as Director in Bayreuth”, which was kindly loaned by Barbara Brady. The film documents the genesis of Ms Wagner’s new production of the Meistersinger in Bayreuth in 2007, and gives a unique insight into the inner workings of the Bayreuth festival. (This documentary lasts 82 minutes.)

2pm 
Peter Bassett will give a talk on Beethoven and Wagner. Peter gave a fascinating illustrated talk last year on that “other” Sachs opera, Albert Lortzing’s comic opera Hans Sachs, and its influence on Wagner’s Die Meistersinger.

Goethe Institut

2008

    

October 19

Goetz Richter (A/Prof. Strings - Chair Strings Unit, Sydney Conservatorium ) will give a talk on 'Nietzsche and Wagner: on the quarrel between music and truth'.

Goethe Institut 2 pm

November 16

A visit to the Opera Centre, Elizabeth St, Sydney hosted by Sharna Flowers - deferred

Opera Centre TBC

September 28

Christopher Broderick, President of the Wagner Society of New Zealand, will give an illustrated talk on “Wagner and the Visual Arts”. Chris took over the President's role when Professor Heath Lees stood down in May this year. In early July this year, Chris visited Wagner Societies in Victoria , South and West Australia, and will visit Queensland after his talk in Sydney

Goethe Institut 2 pm

September 14

Dr Robert Gibson - Robert will give a talk on relationships between the music of the two Richards, Wagner and Strauss. Hans von Bülow apparently called them 'Richard the First' and ''Richard the Third', for the obvious reason that no-one was worthy of being placed in such proximity to the Meister as a 'Richard the Second'

St Stephen's Uniting Church ( 197 Macquarie Street , near Martin Place )

6 pm

July 20

Peter Bassett - talk on 'Lortzing's 1840 Singspiel, Hans Sachs, as inspiration for Wagner's Die Meistersinger'

Goethe Institut 2 pm

May 18

The 28th Annual General Meeting of the Wagner Society in NSW Inc will be held on Sunday 18 May at 2pm at the Paddington Uniting Church at 395 Oxford Street Paddington (site of Paddington Markets.)The timetable for the function is:
2.00pm             AGM
2.45pm             Recital by students of the Conservatorium of Music, accompanied by Sharolyn Kimmorley
3.30pm             Afternoon Tea (in the Newcombe Street Hall at the rear of the church buildings

Paddington Uniting Church** 2 pm

April 20

Glenn Winslade - a Talk on 'Life in Bayreuth' from singer's perspective

Goethe Institut 2 pm

16 March

At 1 pm we will show Act 1 of Flying Dutchman (in preparation for the concert performances in August in Melbourne).

At 2 pm Warwick Fyfe, the 2007 Bayreuth Scholar will give an illustrated talk about his time in Germany, touching on some of his recent and forthcoming roles.

Goethe-Institut

February 17

At 1pm, there will be an excerpt from a DVD of Götterdämmerung, the Otto Schenk production for the New York Metropolitan Opera with conductor James Levine, Hildegard Behrens as Brünnhilde, Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried, and Matti Salminen as Hagen. The extract begins mid-way through Act 3 scene 2, following Siegfried’s stabbing by Hagen (“Brünnhilde, heilige Braut!”), and continues to the end of the opera.

Then at 2pm, Alan Whelan will give an illustrated talk on “Wagner in Russia”

'In February 1863 Wagner suddenly abandoned the Viennese rehearsals of Tristan und Isolde and travelled deep into Russia. In St Petersburg and Moscow he worried the Russian secret police, but he worried Russian critics even more by conducting actually facing the musicians, with his back to the audience. At least Tchaikovsky was impressed. How did Wagner’s visit affect Russian music and culture? And how did Russia affect Wagner?'

Alan Whelan explores Wagner’s little-known Russian connection

 Goethe Institut*
     
2007    

October 21

Bayreuth attendees will report back on The Ring and other Bayreuth experiences ( The Proms Gotterdammerung and ROH Ring might even get a mention)

Goethe Institut

November 11

Antony Ernst will talk on Tristan und Isolde

Goethe Institut

August

NO FUNCTION

September 2

Professor Heath Lees: Wagner and Mallarme: Music as Poetry and Poetry as Music

Goethe Institut

June

NO FUNCTION

Goethe Institut

July 15

The President (Cruikshank that is) speaks on 'Wolfram, the glue that binds the story of Tannhauser'

18 March

1pm Tony Palmer "Wagner" film, part 9 of 10
2pm Robert Gay will be talking about Wagner and French Grand Opera. This talk will be about the influence of French Grand Opera opera and production on later works, through to Tristan and Parsifal.

Goethe-Institut

2006    

Nov 26

Nigel Butterley: a talk on Faust, Mephistopheles – and composers!

Goethe-Institut

Oct 15

Alan Whelan: an illustrated talk on Rienzi (Please note change in date)

Goethe-Institut

Sept 17

Report back by members who attended the Bayreuth Festival

Goethe-Institut

May 21

Annual General Meeting and recital by the students from the Con who received scholarships to study German at the with Sharolyn Kimmorley accompanying.

Goethe-Institut

April 2

Alan Whelan: the life and works of Seigfried Wagner

Goethe-Institut

March 19

No meeting - Parsifal Performances in Wellington New Zealand

 

February 19

A window on the work of the conservtorium of music. Professor Kim Walker, Dean of the Conservatorium will inroduce the work of the Conservatorium, especially its Opera Unit. Then Sharolyn Kimmorley will demonstrate the coaching techniques she uses with singers by conducting a class with a pupil from the Con

Goethe-Institut
2005    

Dec 11

End of Year function - the usual 'bring a plate'.

Goethe Institut

Nov 20

Alan Whelan 'Perception and Reception of Wagner in the Nazi period'

Goethe Institut

Oct 16

Renowned Australian composer Nigel Butterley will talk on Liszt and Wagner. Nigel will illustrate his talk with CD recordings. Nigel will also play three late Liszt pieces.

Goethe Institut

Sep 18

Panel discussion on the latest productions in Bayreuth

Goethe Institut

7 August

Deborah Polaski, acclaimed dramatic soprano, will talk with Miriam Gordon-Stewart about her career and recent performances. The talk will include DVD and CD presentations.

Goethe Institut

May 22

AGM - recital by Conservatorium German language scholarship winners, Wagner's birthday party (this is the actual birthday). This meeting will coincide with the 25 th anniversary of the Society and the 100 th Newsletter - June 2005 issue.

Goethe Institut

April 17

Palm Sunday - Alan Whelan 'Symbols in Parsifal'

Goethe Institut

February 20

Post-Adelaide Ring Cycle discussion

Goethe Institut

March 20

Justice Jane Mathews 'Women and Loss in the Ring' - followed by an interview with Jessica Pratt by Anthony Ernst

Goethe Institut
2004    

7 November

End of year function with DVD of “The Stagehand’s Ring” (a backstage view of the San Francisco Opera production) and Members’ Wagner Marketplace (see below for details).

See also images of End of Year Function PDF Document01 PDF Document 02 (Password required - E-mail for password)

Members’ Weihnachtsmarkt – 7 November
(Christmas Market)
Members of the Wagner Society in NSW are invited to bring new or second-hand Wagnerian recordings, publications, memorabilia etc to the end of year function – Sunday, 7 November. As with the previous Market some years ago, sellers will be charged a fee of $5 to display their wares. There is no charge to purchasers – however, donations are always welcome.

Goethe Institut 1.00 PM

17 October

Preparation for the Ring Part 2 Roger Cruikshank, Dennis Mather and Terence Watson will talk about aspects of The Ring.
Roger Cruikshank
In an introductory presentation Roger will discuss how one might approach the event, physically as well as musically and he will talk about the 'story'.
Terence Watson
Terence will address the Myth and History, Masculinity and Femininity in The Ring Cycle.
Dennis Mather
Dennis will be introducing a discussion on Leitmotifs in The Ring . He will use some of the multimedia resources that are available to the general listener to assist them in gaining a deeper understanding of this fascinating aspect of Wagner's work.

Goethe Institut

19 September

Preparation for the Ring Part 1 - Jim Leigh will present the film of the making of the Solti Ring and also provide some insights into the best way to prepare oneself for The Ring

Goethe Institut

May 22

Please note Saturday date.
Our AGM and function to celebrate Wagner’s birthday will now be on Saturday 22 May, which is Wagner's actual birthday. The recital will be by students of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music - Erin O’Connor, Emily Garth, Rebecca Hilder and Jessica Pratt - who received scholarships from the Society to study German at the Goethe Institut this year, accompanied by Sharolyn Kimmorley (Chair, Opera Studies Unit at the Conservatorium, and 2003 Bayreuth Scholar). A great stand up lunch is included.

Goethe Institut

June

No function

 

18 July

Launch of the book 'The Once and Future Ring" by Dr Antony Ernst

Goethe Institut

April 18

Special Guest Margaret Whitlam will talk about things Wagnerian in her life and introduce a showing of act of an opera that has special meaning for her.

Goethe Institut

March 21

Mr Antony Ernst will be overseas on this date. We are very pleased that Robert Gay has kindly agreed to provide a talk on Berlioz and Wagner.
Robert is well known as a music lecturer and guide for overseas opera tours. He is a regular lecturer for the University of Sydney’s continuing education programme, and this week finishes eight lectures entitled “Wagner and the music of his time”. In late September Robert will give six lectures in preparation for the Neidhardt Ring which premiers in Adelaide on 16 November. He may also give a series of advanced lectures next month, tentatively titled “Alberich and Wotan”, so keep an eye here for further information.

Goethe Institut

February 15 04

Post-mortem" on Opera Australia's production of Der fliegende Holländer - a chance to have your say

Goethe Institut

Sunday November 16 03

Player Piano Exposition and Recital - Dennis Condon - Presentation with transcriptions for Duo Art reproducing piano of Wagner’s music

 

Sunday

December 7

End-of-year party, preceded by documentary on New York’s private Amato Opera Company, a labour of love for Sally and Anthony Amato.

Goethe Institut

 

Sunday July 20

24th AGM, followed by video of a gala concert of Karl Boehm's 85th birthday party at Salzburg on 30/8/79 - Highlights + extracts from performances by Wiener Staatsoper, including Rosenkavalier, Zauberflote, Salome, Tannhauser, Elektra (with Birgitt Nilsson).

Goethe Institut

May 23

Wagner's Birthday Dinner – Wagner's birthday Dinner

 

April 13

Antony Ernst on Parsifal

Goethe Institut

March 16

DVD of Die Meistersinger von N?rnberg** Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos with Götz Friedrich - producer, Gosta Winbergh - Walter, Eva Johansson - Eva, Victor von Halem - Veit Pogner, Wolfgang Brendel- Hans Sachs; English subtitles

Goethe Institut

January

No function

 

February 23

Associate Professor Michael Evans
Talk: 'Wagner in Perspective - 15% years after the Master's death'.

Goethe Institut

March 16

DVD of Die Meistersinger von N?rnberg** Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos with Götz Friedrich - producer, Gosta Winbergh - Walter, Eva Johansson - Eva, Victor von Halem - Veit Pogner, Wolfgang Brendel- Hans Sachs; English subtitles

Goethe Institut

April 13

Antony Ernst on Parsifal

Goethe Institut

May 23

Wagner's Birthday Dinner – to be held on the day of Wagner’s birth – Friday 23***

The Women’s Club

June

No Wagner Society function – possible Meistersinger Seminar at NSW Art Gallery

 

July 20

23rd AGM

A seminar on Meistersinger may also be organised with Heath Lees and the New Zealand Wagner Society on Saturday morning 5 July

Goethe Institut

 

This page updated: 31-May-2010

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This Page was last updated on: 31-May-2010

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