Newsletter Vol 9 No 2 March 2005

Editorial

Spring and summer bring promising prospects for Wagnerites: the Leipzig International Wagner Congress with Tannhäuser, Les Troyens and other operas included, the Amazonian Ring cycle in Manaus, a date with The Mastersingers at Midsummer in the spectacular setting of the Isle of Cumbrae, Tristan und Isolde in concert at the Edinburgh International Festival, and two concerts at the same festival from our patron, Donald Runnicles. And even if some people wish that Scottish Opera were doing the death of Siegfried rather than that of Klinghoffer, it's surely good to see our beleaguered national company in the international limelight again. They deserve that prestige.

Forthcoming Events

Sunday 10 April at 7.30pm: 'Richard Wagner and his Native City of Leipzig' - an Illustrated Lecture by Derek Watson

As a foretaste of this year's International Richard Wagner Congress which takes place in early May in Leipzig, Derek will look at the city Wagner knew as a youth, its personalities, his early musical experiences there, his first compositions, and how his works fared in his birthplace over the rest of his career.

Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road (by Dean Bridge).
Admission: members £5, guests £6.

Sunday 22 May at 7.30pm: In Celebration of the Master's Birthday

A programme is being devised to mark the 192nd anniversary of Wagner's birth. We hope it will take the theme 'Wagner & Dresden', with a special guest from that city. More details in the next Newsletter!

Edinburgh Society of Musicians (address as above).
Members £5; guests £6

Study Weekend 2005: Die Meistersinger

You can download a brochure and booking form from this website (in Word format) for The Mastersingers at Midsummer, from Friday 24 to Tuesday 28 June in the very wonderful setting of the Cathedral of the Isles at Millport, Isle of Cumbrae. Please note: accommodation (especially single rooms) is very limited, so be sure to apply as soon as you can!

Wagner Society of Scotland Bayreuth Scholarship 2005

Several applications were received for our Scholarship to enable a young artist to attend the Bayreuth Festival this summer. The winner is a final year student at the Alexander Gibson Opera School of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the bass Orlando Mason. He will attend Lohengrin, Parsifal and Tristan und Isolde, and receives £700 towards expenses.

News in Brief

  • Ian Beresford Gleaves will give a study weekend on Der fliegende Holländer from 16 to 18 September at Farncombe Estate Centre, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7LJ. Details on 0845 230 8590.
  • The indefatigable Edinburgh Players Opera Group will perform Tristan und Isolde in Portobello Town Hall at 10am on Sunday 2 October. Members are welcome to attend: a voluntary admission charge of £15 is suggested. Details from Philip Taylor on 01368 850 235.
  • We're sorry to learn that Dr Roger Allen is to relinquish his editorship of the London Wagner Society's journal Wagner. The volumes during his period as editor, and the contributions made by Stewart Spencer, represented Wagner scholarship at its very best.
  • A new international journal of Wagner studies will be launched in July. We will give details of 'wagnerspectrum' in our next Newsletter.

2nd Hand Wagner Books & Audio/Visual Items for sale

Many of the items listed below have been gifted to the Society by Betty Sutton (some of her books, etc., raised a tidy sum at our last Christmas party) and in purchasing these you are benefitting directly our Scholarship Fund. Simple rules: first come, first served! No reply = item already sold.

If you wish to order any of these items please send a note of them (quoting the item code) to Derek Watson by post, fax or e-mail [his address is at the foot of the page]. Remember to give your full postal address! Send no money now! You will be invoiced with the cost including postage. If you would prefer to pick up the items at a future meeting please state so clearly with your order.

Code

  

B1

ENO Guides to the Ring (4 PB vols) £12

B2

ENO Guide to The Flying Dutchman £3

B3

ENO Guide to Tannhäuser £3

B4

ENO Guide to Lohengrin £3

B5

ENO Guide to Parsifal £3

B6

Bayreuth Festival Programmes for the Ring 1989. 4 vols £16

B7

Wagner Writes from Paris Stories, and Essays by the young composer HB ed & transl. R Jacobs and Geoffrey Skelton. Signed by the latter, £6.50

B8

--- another copy (unsigned) £6

B9

Selected Letters of Richard Wagner transl & ed by B Millington & S Spencer HB £25

B10

Richard Wagner: His Life, Art and Thought by Ronald Taylor PB £4

B11

Wagner by John Chancellor PB £2

B12

Wagner (Master Musicians Series) by Barry Millington PB £10

B13

The Real Wagner by R Sabor PB £4

B14

Wagner's Writings on Music & Drama ed. A Goldman & E Sprinchorn PB £8

B15

Wagner (Master Musicians Series) by R Jacobs PB £6

B16

Wagner Nights by E Newman PB £8

B17

The New Grove Wagner ed Deathridge & Dahlhaus PB £6

B18

The Dream King: Ludwig of Bavaria by Wilfrid Blunt HB £18

B19

Richard Wagner by Houston Stewart Chamberlain Engl. Transl. 1900 HB £40

B20

Aspects of Wagner by B Magee. New enlarged ed., HB 1988 £10

B21

Wagner by Robert Anderson HB £6.50

D1

The Real Wagner by R Sabor HB £10

D2

Wagner's Visit to Rossini by E Michotte HB fine in slip case £16

D3

Personal Recollections of Wagner by Angelo Neumann HB 1909 £30

D4

Geschichte unser Familie in Bildern by Wolf Siegfried Wagner [picture book] PB £6

D5

100 Years of Wagner in Catalonia [magnificent picture book] PB £10

D6

Wolfgang Wagner Æ an appreciation ed Lueck HB £30

D7

--- new copy of same £40

D8

Bayreuth by F Spotts HB £25

D9

The Ring transl E Porter PB £6

D10

Musik-Konzepte: Richard Wagner, wie anti-Semitisch darf ein Künstler sein? PB £8

A1

Das Rheingold Solti recording. Decca CDs £10

A2

Wagner Cantatas/Overtures [includes rarities unavailable elsewhere] Bamberg Symphoniker & Chor CDs £6

A3

Scenes from the Ring Domingo/Pappano EMI CD £10

A4

Scenes from Wagner Terfel/Abbado Berlin Phil CD £6

A5

Wagner Gala Abbado/Studer/Jerusalem/Terfel Berlin Phil CD £3

A6

Deryck Cooke's Introduction to the Ring Decca 2 CDs plus notes £8

A7

Die Feen Sawallisch/Moll/Gray/Studer Cassettes £8

A8

Die Walküre Act 2 Walter/Hotter/Lehmann CD £3

A9

Arias/Wesendonck Lieder Flagstad EMI CD £3

A10

Die Meistersinger Jochum/Fischer-Dieskau/Domingo Cassettes £6

V1

Video Tape Wagner in Bayreuth £3

V2

2 Video Tapes: Götterdämmerung Kupfer/Barenboim £10

V3

2 Video Tapes: Siegfried Chereau/Boulez £10

Were you there...?

  • On Sunday 23 January when Sir Donald McIntyre got our year off to a magnificent start with a riveting account of his early career and his years in Bayreuth. In part 2 he was in fine voice in the two great Wotan/Erda scenes, partnered by Phillida Bannister. A big thank you to Donald and Lady McIntyre for their visit, and especially to Phillida who gave most generously of her time and talents.
  • Three weeks later - another recital! Our 2004 Bayreuth Scholar, Shuna Scott-Sendall, accompanied by Wai Sum Chang, presented a programme of Debussy, Wagner, and songs befitting the date: St Valentine's Day!
  • On the last Sunday in February John Wallace, eminent trumpeter and Principal of the RSAMD, gave a superb and original lecture with illustrations on 'Wagner & Brass'. He opened up many insights both musical and social, and particularly revealed the important background of the industrial revolution to Wagner's career and times.
  • Another stimulating lecture followed this month. Dr Ian Robertson spoke eloquently about 'The Fateful Potion in Tristan: Aphrodisiac or Placebo?' Combining his weighty knowledge of both medicine and music, Ian outlined the intoxicating effects of alkaloids from the plants of the Solanaceae family. With his usual wit, lightness of touch and skilful balancing of evidence, he made out a good case for the potion being anything but a placebo!

Chairman and Newsletter editor: Derek Watson, Deanfoot House, West Linton, Peeblesshire EH46 7EA Tel 01968 660339 Fax 01968 661701; e-mail derek@lintonbooks.plus.com

Secretary: W S Scott, 83 East Claremont Street, Edinburgh EH7 4HU; Tel 0131-556 2617; Fax 0870 0568159; e-mail will@elgar1.plus.com

Treasurer: John Holcombe, 4 Galleon Court, Lamer Street, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1GX; e-mail john@holc.wanadoo.co.uk

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