International Association of Wagner Societies

Last updated

The International Association of Wagner Societies (Der Richard-Wagner-Verband International e.V., also known as "Der RWVI") is an affiliation of Wagner societies (Richard Wagner-Verband) that promotes interest and research into the works of Richard Wagner, raises funds for scholarships for young music students, singers, and instrumentalists, and supports the annual Bayreuth Festival. It also sponsors symposia, holds singing competitions for Wagnerian voices, and issues awards for stage direction and stagings of Wagner's operas. The association is a nonprofit organization.

Contents

History

The first Richard Wagner society was launched in Mannheim, Germany in 1871, one year after the premiere of the German composer's opera Die Walküre ("The Valkyrie") in Munich. The brainchild of Wagner's longtime friend, the music publisher Emil Heckel, the first society was a simple, locally conceived venue for celebrating Wagner's music. In the wake of Wagner's difficulties in securing interest in the public subscription for his future Bayreuth Festival, Heckel suggested to the composer that he sponsor additional societies to help secure support. Wagner embraced the idea enthusiastically, and by 1872, societies had been established in Vienna, Berlin, Leipzig and London (the latter founded by Edward Dannreuther (1844–1905), the author of Richard Wagner: His Tendencies and Theories published in 1873).

Wagner's dream, as described in a letter written in 1882, was that his Bayreuth Festival would be free for everyone to attend, however this was never possible because of the extremely high costs to organize and produce it. Nonetheless, based on Wagner's desires, societies refocused their efforts and began making it possible for promising talented musicians to attend. Public interest in supporting subscriptions to fund scholarships was initially tepid, but from 1919 forward, the number of societies increased steadily.

The International Association of Wagner Societies was founded in 1991 in Lyon. Today, more than 26,000 members in 147 societies belong to the International Association of Wagner Societies around the globe. The number of groups under the organization's auspices has expanded considerably in the last fifty years. Wagner societies can be found in all parts of the world, including Venice, Great Britain, Scotland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Lisbon, Melbourne, Adelaide, Ankara, New York City, Toronto, Cape Town, Bangkok, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and the Ottawa/Gatineau area.

The societies are very diverse and offer a wide range of Wagner-related activities, including concerts, lectures, and publishing. The main organization holds a symposium called "Wagner Days in Venice" (Giornate Wagneriane a Venezia) in Italy each autumn.

Chairs and presidents

Richard Wagner International Congress

Every year members of the local Wagner Societies gather for the Richard Wagner International Congress, to share experiences and to plan for the future in sessions. The congress takes place in a different city each year:

Congresses have also taken place in Frankfurt am Main, Bordeaux, Trier, and Budapest. As a result of the Covid pandemic, congresses planned between 2020 and 2022 in Bonn, Berlin and Madrid had to be cancelled. The 2024 Congress will take place in Madrid in May. [1]

See also

Official website

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opera house</span> Theatre building used for opera performances

An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayreuth Festival</span> German music festival of Wagners stage works

The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special festival to showcase his own works, in particular his monumental cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and Parsifal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Knappertsbusch</span> German conductor

Hans Knappertsbusch was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Wagner, Bruckner and Richard Strauss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Thielemann</span> German conductor

Christian Thielemann is a German conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, and the designated Generalmusikdirektor of the Berlin State Opera.

The Salzburg Easter Festival is a classical music and opera festival held every year over the extended week before Easter in Salzburg, Austria since 1967.

The Bayreuther Osterfestival is an Easter Festival held at Bayreuth in Germany. It has the three aims of raising money for cancer charities, providing experience and opportunities for young musicians, and the promotion of international understanding. It is connected with the work of the International Youth Orchestra Academy, and was founded in 1994.

The Internationale Junge Orchesterakademie (IJOA), or International Youth Orchestra Academy, is an international range orchestra for young people, based in Pleystein, Bavaria. It has special associations with the Bayreuth Easter Festival. The Kultur- und Sozialstiftung Internationale Junge Orchesterakademie is a charitable foundation under the auspices of the IJOA. The aims of the foundation are to help and support children suffering from cancer; the promotion of culture—especially music; and promotion of international understanding. The musicians, who come from different backgrounds from all over the world, meet to make music and play together in one orchestra.

Anna Korondi is a Hungarian soprano in opera and concert. She has been an Academic voice teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin from 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jürgen Maehder</span> German musicologist and opera director (born 1950)

Jürgen Maehder is a German musicologist and opera director. He discovered Franco Alfano's original version of the finale for the third act of Puccini's Turandot. He has lectured and staged opera internationally.

Liane Synek was an Austrian operatic soprano. She made a career based in Germany, at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, the Staatsoper Berlin and the Cologne Opera, and appeared at international major opera houses and festivals, such as the Bayreuth Festival. She appeared mostly in dramatic roles such as Beethoven's Fidelio, and Wagner's Sieglinde, Brünnhilde and Isolde. She also performed in contemporary operas, creating the role of Countess de la Roche in Zimmermann's Die Soldaten in Cologne in 1965, conducted by Michael Gielen.

Ingrid Haubold is a German operatic soprano. After beginning her career in Munich and continuing with German companies, she moved on to major international opera houses, appearing as Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde at the Teatro Real in Madrid in 1986, as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, and in the title role of Beethoven's Fidelio at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Albert Dohmen is a German operatic bass-baritone who is known internationally for performing leading roles by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He has also worked in concert halls and given lieder recitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siegfried Vogel</span> German operatic bass (born 1937)

Siegfried Vogel is a German operatic bass. Based at the Staatsoper Berlin, he performed internationally at major opera houses and festivals, including the Salzburg Festival and the Bayreuth Festival. He began in Mozart roles, but expanded his repertoire, including world premieres of operas.

Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was a German Romantic composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermin Esser</span> German operatic tenor

Hermin Esser was a German operatic tenor who focused on roles by Richard Wagner, which he performed at the Bayreuth Festival and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelo Neumann</span> German author, opera singer and director

Josef Angelo Neumann was a German operatic baritone and theater director. First a baritone at major opera houses in Europe, including the Vienna Imperial Opera, he was the managing director of the Leipzig Opera and the Estates Theatre in Prague. He is known as an early promoter of the stage works by Richard Wagner, namely the Ring cycle, which he presented with the sets and costumes of the world premiere at the Bayreuth Festival, first in Leipzig and then on a European tour.

Werner Wolf was a German musicologist and music critic. The acknowledged Wagner researcher was co-editor of Sämtlicher Briefe of the composer from 1967 to 1979. He also presented several opera performances. In 1981 he was appointed professor at the Leipzig University.

Detlef Roth is a German operatic bass-baritone.

Kwangchul Youn is a South Korean operatic bass and academic voice teacher. He made an international career based in Germany, from 1994 to 2004 at the Berlin State Opera. He has performed leading roles at international opera houses and festivals, such as Gurnemanz in Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival, Mephisto in Faust at the Vienna State Opera, and King Marke in Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clemens Unterreiner</span> Austrian opera baritone

Clemens Unterreiner is an Austrian operatic baritone. He is professionally active internationally as well as a soloist and ensemble member of the Vienna State Opera. His operatic repertoire ranges from lyric to German-Italian-French cavalier and heroic baritone roles to masses, oratorios and classical Lieder, and also includes operetta and modern music.

References