Alexander Rothe to Present Lecture on Wagner’s Ring Cycle

The Department of Music at Gustavus is pleased to present “Myth, Revolution, and Nationalism in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle” a guest lecture by Alexander K. Rothe, on Thursday, March 17 at 1:30 p.m. The lecture is open to the public and will be presented in Schaefer Fine Arts Music 308.

In this lecture, Dr. Alexander K. Rothe will discuss current Wagner singers and conductors and examine three themes that are central to an understanding of Wagner’s work: myth, revolution, and nationalism. He will focus on the “Prelude” of Rheingold and excerpts from Die Walküre. His dissertation “Staging the Past: Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Divided Germany during the 1970s and 1980s” examines how Wagner stagings both reflected and contributed to broader historical debates in East and West Germany, especially debates about the Nazi past and the legacy of the 1968 protest movements. He has published articles in Musical Quarterly and Tempo, and has received research grants from the Fulbright Program and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Dr. Rothe received his Ph.D. in Musicology from Columbia University in 2015 and has taught at Columbia and Fordham University. He is currently writing a book on Wagner stagings in postwar Germany.

“Myth, Revolution, and Nationalism in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle: A Guest Lecture by Dr. Alexander K. Rothe” will be given in Schaefer Fine Arts Music 308 at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. No prior music experience is required.