13895 Wagner News 174 - Wagner Society of England

FORTHCOMING EVENTS
3rd October 2012
Barry Millington will give an illustrated talk on his new book
The Sorcerer of Bayreuth: Richard Wagner, his Work and his World
“In The Sorcerer of Bayreuth Barry Millington, a leading authority on Wagner,
presents an engaging, accessibly written overview of the life and works one of the
world's most influential and controversial composers. This richly illustrated book
considers a wide range of themes, including Wagner’s original sources of inspiration,
his compositional process; his relationship with his wife, Cosima, and with his
mistress, Mathilde Wesendonck, his perplexing ideology, the anti-Semitism that is
undeniably present in the operas, their proto-cinematic nature and the turbulent legacy
both of the Bayreuth Festival and of Wagnerism itself.
Drawing on the very latest biographical and musicological scholarship,
Millington reassesses received notions about both Wagner’s life and his music,
demolishing tired clichés and ill-informed opinion in favour of proper critical
understanding. The Sorcerer of Bayreuth offers readers a fascinating reappraisal of this
most provocative of composers and the incomparable music he made.” (From Thames
and Hudson publicity material)
7pm for 7:30pm at Portland Place School Sixth Form Centre, 5th Floor, 143
Great Portland Street, London, W1W 6QN. Tickets £12 (£6 students). To order tickets,
please send a cheque in favour of The Wagner Society with a stamped addressed
envelope to Mike Morgan, 9 West Court, Downley, High Wycombe, Bucks HP13 5TG.
Tickets will also be available on the door.
17th October 2012
An Evening with Simon O’Neill and Lionel Friend
A joint event with the Music Club of London. Accompanied by Lionel Friend, Simon
O’Neill will present a sample of his vast repertoire and will also be interviewed by the
Chairman of the Music Club, Michael Bousfield.
Winner of the Wagner Society’s Bayreuth Bursary award in 2003, Simon
O’Neill has rapidly established himself as one of the finest tenors on the international
stage. He is a principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden, La Scala and both the Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals (Lohengrin 2011,
Parsifal 2012). He has sung with conductors such as James Levine, Ricardo Muti,
Valery Gergiev, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Antonio Pappano. This
autumn he sings Siegmund in the Covent Garden Ring,a role in which the press have
described him as: “an exemplary Siegmund, terrific of voice,” “the Wagnerian tenor of
his generation” and “a turbo-charged tenor”.
6.30 for 7.00pm at 49 Queen's Gate Terrace London SW7 (Underground:
Gloucester Road).Tickets: £20 (members); £25 (guests) to include wine and nibbles
available from Mrs Frances Simpson, 3 Hunt Close, Morden Road, London SE3 0AH.
Please make cheques out to The Music Club of London and include a stamped
addressed envelope.
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