HUAS78073 - Wagner's Ring
Course Description
Richard Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen, a cycle of four mythology-steeped music dramas written over the course of 26 years, is the largest single most wide-ranging work in the common repertory. In this course, students will examine the genesis, construction, and cultural context of each of the four dramas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung.
Course Outline
Syllabus/Itinerary:
10-11am: Sources and libretto. Political and social influences. Excerpts from the operas illustrating these issues. Das Rheingold, scenes 1 and 2. A new kind of opera, called "music drama"
11-1130am: Das Rheingold, scenes 3 and 4
1130-1230pm: Die Walkuere, the conflict between humans and Gods, the impossibility of Wotan's dilemma, Wotan's crimes against Nature and Man, which echoes those of Alberich. Brunnhilde.
1230-130pm: Lunch Break
130-2pm. Wotan's Farewell.
2-245 pm: Siegfied, the "scherzo" of the cycle. Siegfried as the hero of a "Bildungsroman"; or coming of age story.
245-4pm. Gotterdammerung. Back to Grand Opera? Wagner's astounding orchestration. "I Saw the World End"...Brunnhilde's immolation.
Notes
At Graham health and safety is our highest priority. As we resume on-site programming, we want to share COVID-19 requirements for attending.
In-person programming must adhere to University of Chicago guidelines, including the following measures:
- All in-person participants must show proof of fully vaccinated status, defined as two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or two weeks after one dose of a single-dose vaccine.
- All in-person participants eligible to receive the COVID-19 booster shot must meet this requirement and show proof of receiving a booster shot.
For more information on Education Guidance including vaccine requirements and masking requirements, please visit goforward.uchicago.edu/education-planning/.
For more information on measures the university is taking to help protect public health, please visit goforward.uchicago.edu.