Saturday 18 October. Peter Bassett. ‘Wagner’s Siegfried and the Power of Nature’. At Radio 4MBS Classic FM, 384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo, Brisbane. 3:00pm to 5:00pm. The opera Siegfried marks the transition from an old mythological view of humanity with stories dominated by gods, to a focus on the power of nature – the world as we see and know it. Indeed, the crucial scene between Wotan (as the Wanderer) and Erda, whose name is the Old High German word for ‘Earth’, is at the crux of this transition when Wotan bequeaths the future to a child of nature – Siegfried. It is difficult to think of any composer or dramatist who has been more actively concerned with nature and the animal world than Wagner. He was strongly opposed to hunting as a sport and espoused the cause of vegetarianism. And from an early age, the concept of compassion shaped Wagner’s thoughts and, for him, it was directly related to the relationship between the human and animal worlds. In a letter to Mathilde Wesendonck he emphasised that fellow suffering was central to his art as much as to his philosophy of life.
$15 for members and $20 for guests. Please transfer payment to Bank of Queensland BSB 124 021, Account No. 2261 2919. Ref (surname) September. And please email the secretary Alpha Yap at alphayap60@gmail.com to advise of your attendance and provide the names of guests.
Saturday 8 November. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING plus Professor Alpha Yap on ‘Wagner’s calling cards: Leitmotifs – what, why, how? At Radio 4MBS Classic FM, 384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo, Brisbane. 2:30pm to 5:00pm. Further details in October. Please note the new AGM starting time of 2:30pm.
Saturday 29 November. CHRISTMAS LUNCH. La Belle Vie French Restaurant, 60 MacGregor Terrace, Bardon 4065. Further details in October.