Naugatuck Times

Event Date:
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 - 5:30pm

The Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury is excited to welcome Dr. Gil Harel as he presents “Forbidden Harmony and Forbidden Love: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde” on Wednesday, January 18th, 2023 at 5.30 pm on Zoom. There is no charge for this program, but registration is required. RSVP online at www.minormemoriallibrary.org to receive the Zoom link.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) is perhaps the most polarizing composer in the western canon. His personal life was a storm of controversies and constant flight from debtors. No less stormy was the music he wrote and perhaps no opera by Wagner (or any other composer of the 19th century) is more of a lightning rod than “Tristan und Isolde”. In the opera (described by the man himself as a “Musik Drama”), Wagner used chromatic harmony in a way that European audiences could only begin to comprehend. From the tonally nebulous opening prelude to the rapturous “Liebestod” that closes the work, audiences are treated to a style that is both sublime and thought-provoking. Join Professor Gil Harel as he leads an exploration of this watershed stage work.

Dr. Harel, musicologist and music theorist, is an Associate Professor of Music at Naugatuck Valley Community College, where he conducts the college chorale, a cappella ensemble, teaches music history and theory and serves as musical director of theater productions. Dr. Harel has been presented with the AFT “Merit Award for Exemplary Service to the College” for 4 consecutive years. In 2020 he was honored with the coveted Connecticut Board of Regents (BOR) Teaching Award.

Call the library at 860-350-2181 or visit the website at www.minormemoriallibrary.org for more information and directions.

The mission of the Minor Memorial Library is to promote and encourage literacy and to serve the needs of the Roxbury Community by providing free access to ideas and information through diversity of library materials, programs, services, and experiences.  The library is handicapped-accessible.

Original source can be found here.