Screenvision Distribution is screening the Royal Opera House Covent Garden production of Parsifal in HD. The screenings for Sacramento are being held at the Tower Theater. The cast: Simon O'Neill, Angela Denoke, René Pape, Gerald Finley and Willard White and Antonio Pappano conducts. Running time is 345 minutes Phone the Tower Theater for more information: (800) 326-3264… Continue reading ROH-Covent Garden Parsifal in HD – Sacto
Wagadmin phoned the Clay Theater and was informed that the performance on January 12th was cancelled. Sorry for the inconvenience which is beyond the control of the Wagner Society of Northern California
The 18th Annual Berlin and Beyond Film Festival will screen the lavish new film Ludwig II at the historic Castro Theater. Ticket pricing and sales information is forthcoming. Produced in Germany and Austria in 2012 with the runtime of 130 minutes. In German*. Directed and written by Marie Noëlle and Peter Sehr. Photographed by Christian Berger.… Continue reading FILM – Ludwig II
Director Nikolas Lehnhoff is an Honorary Member of the Wagner Society of Northern California. Over the course of many years, award-winning documentarian Reiner E. Moritz has created documentaries about Lehnhoff's productions of Wagner operas. The Wagner Society will screen two of these fascinating film examinations of the creative process and Lehnhoff's insights into his productions.… Continue reading Nikolas Lehnhoff – Documentary Film Tribute
Posted January 14, 2014 We are extremely sorry to announce that theTower Theater has cancelled the 2nd showing of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden production of Parsifal in HD. The booking policies of individual theaters are beyond the control of the WSNC. Screenvision Distribution is screening the Royal Opera House Covent Garden production of Parsifal in… Continue reading CANCELLED ROH-Parsifal in HD – Sacto
Wagner's Ring poses theatrical challenges that boggle the mind. Wagner wanted flying horses, swimming mermaids, disappearing people, dragons, blazing flames, anvil splitting and strategic sword extractions. Over the years Wagnerian audiences have come to expect 'what Wagner wanted" and are never shy in expressing their opinions about Ring productions. Robert Schaub is no stranger to… Continue reading Technical Challenges of Wagner's Operas
Wagner himself wrote of Holländer "From here begins my career as a poet, and my farewell to the mere concoter of opera texts". Stanford Music Professor Dr. Hinton spoke on Holländer in preview lectures for the San Francisco Opera Guild in October 2013. However, Dr. Hinton's talk was only able to skim the surface of… Continue reading Dr. Stephen Hinton – Der fliegende Holländer
Can't make it to the WSNC Meeting on April 5th? Here is an earlier opportunity to see Hilan Warshaw's film Wagner's Jews. The documentary is being screened during the 19th Annual East Bay International Jewish Film Festival. It will be screened at the Pleasant Hill Century 16 Theater. Wagner's Jews 10:30 a.m.USA/Germany, 2013, 55 minutes, English/German/Hebrew/subtitlesBay… Continue reading Film Screening – East Bay International Jewish Film Festival
Can Art Transcend Hatred and Bigotry? The German opera composer Richard Wagner was notoriously anti-Semitic, and his writings on the Jews were later embraced by Hitler and the Nazis. But there is another, lesser-known side to this story. For years, many of Wagner’s closest associates were Jews— young musicians who became personally devoted to him,… Continue reading WSNC Film Screening – Wagner's Jews
SAVE THE DATE! The Society has been invited to celebrate Richard Wagner's Birthday at the beautiful German Residence of Consul General and Mrs. Peter Rothen. Our special musical guest for this event is mezzo soprano Kindra Scharich who will perform the "Wesendonck Lieder" for our members and guests. It has been TWELVE YEARS since the… Continue reading Richard Wagner Birthday Celebration
“The Legacy of Wagner on Record” The music of Richard Wagner has figured prominently in the music recording industry, offering many challenges to recording companies and to listeners. Dr. Sherman will talk about recordings of Wagner’s music from cylinders to the cloud. He will play examples of some of his favorite recordings in an entertaining… Continue reading Dan Sherman – The Legacy of Wagner on Record
Wagner Society of Northern California President, Terri Stuart, was invited to give a presentation for the Rossmoor Opera/Ballet Club. In her talk, Terri Stuart will discuss the history of Wagner Societies, beginning with the establishment of the first Wagner Society in Germany in 1865, the mission of the Wagner Societies and the relevance of the… Continue reading WSNC – Not just horned helmets and flying horses
Paul Heise’s zoom talk “How Elsa Showed Wagner the Way to Siegfried” is an update of his article of the same name originally published in the May, 1995 issue of Wagner, the peer-reviewed journal of The Wagner Society (London, UK). Its subject is how Wagner’s last traditional opera Lohengrin paved the way for Wagner’s revolutionary music-drama… Continue reading How Elsa Showed Wagner the Way to Siegfried – A Zoom Lecture with Paul Heise
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Our traditional Wagnerian Celebration returns once more to the Classic Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel. This year, in addition to a festive repast served in the beautiful Crystal Lounge, the musical program will feature a performance by current Adler Fellows, Sadie Cheslak and Ji Youn Lee. Mezzo-soprano Sadie Cheslak, a first-year Adler Fellow at the… Continue reading 2026 Cosima Wagner Holiday Celebration Brunch
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An erudite and engaging speaker, Leo Eylar returns for another fascinating lecture to the Society. His last talks with us covered “thematic transformation” – aka leitmotifs. This lecture will be a continue his examination of this key area of Wagner’s art, focusing on aspects of this subject that he did not have time to cover… Continue reading Leo Eylar Returns!
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Well known to Wagner Society members, Thomas Grey will examine the meaning and functions of the “ring” Wagner’s epic cycle. Grey is a Professor Emeritus of Musicology and by courtesy, German Studies, at Stanford University. His special fields of study are: Wagner, 19th-century opera, the history of musical aesthetics and criticism, Romantic music and visual culture.… Continue reading What does the Ring actually do in Wagner’s Ring Cycle? with Prof. Thomas Grey
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Join us for a Zoom meeting where Erica will examine the relationship between these two vastly different 19th-century composers. Wagner and Mendelssohn knew each other, and Wagner expressed admiration for Mendelssohn early on, but turned against him after his early death. Mendelssohn was a focus of Wagner’s infamous screed, Das Judenthum in der Musik (Jewishness in… Continue reading Wagner and Mendelssohn a Zoom talk with Erica Miner
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As the San Francisco Opera starts the monumental undertaking of producing Wagner’s Ring Cycle with performances of Das Rheingold this month, Katherine Syer’s presentation will enhance our experience with a talk focused on this pinnacle of musical and dramatic art. Further details on her talk will available later. Katherine Syer has taught at the University… Continue reading Aspects of the Ring with Katherine Syer
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