Götterdämmerung: To End at the Beginning with Jeffrey Buller – a Zoom Presentation

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL RECORDING OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/8HPf4WP4-jo

Götterdämmerung has, of course, one of the most famous endings in all of operatic history. But how did that ending come about? By exploring the gradual evolution of Brünnhilde’s immolation scene, we come to recognize certain patterns that are present, not just in the final work of the Ring, but in all the preceding operas of the cycle. We also gain insight into how Wagner wove together concepts he drew from German and Scandinavian literature, Greek epics and tragedy, Eastern and nineteenth-century philosophy, the politics of his time, and other sources to create a work that operates on many different levels simultaneously and that constantly brings audiences new experiences through different performances and stagings.

Jeffrey L. Buller was born in Wisconsin and holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has held academic or administrative positions at Loras College, Georgia Southern University, Mary Baldwin College, and Florida Atlantic University. Known to different publics as a classicist, scholar of Wagnerian music drama, expert in academic administration, and novelist; Buller has lectured and performed consultancies all over the world. From 2003-2005, he served as the English language lecturer at Bayreuth Festival. From 2009 through 2019, he worked closely with King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia, providing administrative training and helping to create a comprehensive new Academic Leadership Center. He has published extensively on academic leadership as well as a series of mystery novels on operatic themes (Mysteries on an Operatic Scale). His Wagner specific works include “Eternal Dreamer, the Imagery of Richard Wagner” and “Classically Romantic, Classical Form and Meaning in Wagner’s Ring”.