SCFC782

Wagner, Love, and Redemption: A Bicentennial Exploration of the Early Operas

Opera

Although Wagner developed into the 19th century’s most revolutionary opera composer, his mature achievements do not call into question his earlier, more conventional works. Nor did his preaching and practice always jibe. Despite the contempt he poured on Italian and French opera, he learned valuable lessons from each, and his early works present a masterly blend of convention and innovation. He also remained obsessed with the same theme throughout his life: redemption as sacrificial love.

In the year marking the bicentenary of Wagner’s birth, we will examine this theme through the works that first earned him fame—Der fliegende Holländer (1843), Tannhäuser (1845), and Lohengrin (1850).

Please note that enrolment in this course is reserved for adults 55+.

Section Session(s) Date/time Campus Instructor(s) Cost Registration
SCFC782-VA1137 6 Tuesdays
Oct 22–Nov 26
12:30–2:20 pm		 Van Harvey De Roo $104 Register

What will I learn?

Weeks 1 and 2: Der fliegende Holländer

In Der fliegende Holländer, Wagner developed a new use of the orchestra, one that would give a particular mood and colour to the story at hand. He also began his life-long exploration of the idea of redemption as self-sacrificial love – enacted in this opera by Senta dying to save the cursed Dutchman.

Weeks 3 and 4: Tannhäuser

In Tannhäuser, Wagner presents extremes of human experience to explore the relation between erotic and spiritual love, embodied respectively in the figures of Venus and Elizabeth. Here again we encounter a woman dying to save a Romantic outsider – Tannhäuser himself.

Weeks 5 and 6: Lohengrin

In Lohengrin, Wagner’s first Grail story (his second, about Lohengrin’s father, Parsifal, was his final work), the composer tests the limits of trust in love. A woman marries a man who has saved her life but prohibits her learning his name, with the disastrous consequences you might imagine

How will I learn?

  • Lectures
  • Film and/or audio clips
  • Discussion (may vary from class to class)
  • Papers (applicable only to certificate students)

Who should take this course?

This course is for anyone who is interested in learning about the thematic interests and artistic achievement of Richard Wagner's early operas.

How will I be evaluated?

For certificate students only:

Your instructor will evaluate you based on an essay you will complete at the end of the course. You will receive a grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Textbooks and learning materials

Reading material (if applicable) will be available in class. Some course materials may be available online.

If you're 55+, you may take this course as part of

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