Nerd Nite #37 - The Use of Leitmotif in Wagner’s Ring Cycle: A Boring Musicology Talk

Wed, 08/24/2016 - 11:56am

When: August 18, 2016 at Live! 102 S. First St.

The original “never-ending story,” (okay, so it’s actually 15 hours) Wagner’s epic opera cycle Der Ring des Niebelungen is widely regarded as the best way to thoroughly convince people that they hate opera. But it need not be so! As we cruise through a “brief” synopsis of the plot, we will explore how Wagner’s use of musical motifs neatly ties the storyline together, and how this compositional style has influenced the development of film scores.

About Carl: Carl had many, varied interests throughout the years, and he still sometimes wonders what he wants to do when (if) he grows up. He studied trumpet performance in college at Indiana University and the Royal Academy of Music in London, and performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago upon graduation. Currently, as a completely logical next step, he is an MD/PhD student at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he studies how chromatin dynamics influence the development and progression of prostate cancer.