The gender relations in Richard Wagner's operatic world seem clear. Radiant male heroes or brilliant artists are juxtaposed with primordial women: Incarnations of sacrifice or redemption. The international symposium "Wagner - Gender - Myths" challenges this view.
"In the past, the reception of Wagner has often focussed on women around Wagner, Wagnerian women singers and the women in Wagner's works. However, the critical musicological gender perspective on Wagner has been neglected," explains Prof. Dr Melanie Unseld, university lecturer in the cultural history of music and academic director of the conference, which takes place from 15 to 17 November in Oldenburg's Exerzierhalle.
The symposium questions Wagner's mythicisations of woman, hero and artist: How did Wagner portray the myth of the woman and the myth of the hero? How do contemporary singers deal with this? What impact did gender images have on the composer's marriage and family life? Why were Wagner's gender myths formative for Hollywood films? And how are such myths received today? Lectures from the fields of musicology, history, medieval studies and English studies as well as cultural journalism will explore questions such as these. One focus of the symposium will be on Wagner's music drama "Tristan and Isolde", which the symposium participants will attend in the new production of the Oldenburg State Theatre directed by Alexander Müller-Elmau.
