160066 VO Richard Wagner's Years in Paris (2024W)

The aim of the lecture is to get to know Wagner from a perspective that is little known in German-speaking countries and to get to know this approach as one of many possibilities of decolonial music historiography. Richard Wagner set his sights on Paris early on in his endeavors to gain a foothold in the field of opera. His two longer stays at the Seine (1839-1841 and 1859-1861) were - at least according to his own records - characterized by numerous failed ventures and financial hardship. With "Wagner in Paris", however, activities and themes move to the center of Wagner's creative work, which often stand apart from today's mainstream culture of reception of the composer. Thus, despite the monumentality and complexity of the composer's figure today, the lecture conveys numerous “quieter” and lesser-known sides that bring hidden aspects to light and contribute to the differentiation of opera historiography. The central aim of the course is to embed Wagner in the maxims of decolonial historiography.