Wagner’s Ring: Forging an Epic

Die Nibelungen
Director: Fritz Lang
12:00 pm – 5:45 pm

Based on the same Nordic legend that inspired Wagner’s Ring, Die Nibelungen is one of the greatest artistic and technical achievements of the German silent cinema. Presented in two parts, the epic film was restored in 2012 by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung and includes the original score by score by Gottfried Huppertz. Films introduced by filmmaker and writer Hilan Warshaw, President, Overtone Films LLC

How do we bring such masterpieces as Wagner’s Ring from the page to the stage? Artistic Director of the Washington National Opera Francesca Zambello explores how she takes the words and music of Wagner and translates those into the visual ideas for the sets and costumes. The presentation will include visuals from the WNO Ring production and musical selections performed by soprano Lori Phillips and pianist David Moody.

The exhibition Wagner’s Ring: Forging an Epic will open at 6:00 pm for program attendees.

Sven Friedrich

Director: Patrick McGrady
(2010, 89 minutes)

English actor and raconteur Stephen Fry explores his passion for Richard Wagner’s music as well as his troubled legacy. Set against the backdrop of the annual Bayreuth Festival in Germany, this fascinating documentary reveals the life and legacy of one of music’s most complicated geniuses, and features a soundtrack of Wagner’s extraordinary music.

The exhibition Wagner’s Ring: Forging an Epic will be open for program attendees before the event.

Frances Barulich, Mary Flagler Cary Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music

Frances Barulich, Mary Flagler Cary Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music