The Wagner Problem

Hans Rudolf Vaget, Professor of German Studies and Comparative Literature Emeritus, Smith College

During San Francisco Opera's Ring Festival, don’t miss this chance to delve into why many knowledgeable observers believe that Richard Wagner was the most controversial artist of the modern era. Ever since he made his mark as an artist and thinker in mid-19th-century Germany, the man and his work have been viewed by discerning minds with suspicion. This phenomenon – “the Wagner Problem” – has a multiplicity of layers and facets. Vaget will address three of them: Wagner’s purportedly excessive womanizing, his so-called “dilettantism” in the arts, and his anti-Semitism.

MLF: The Arts/Humanities
Location: SF Club Office
Time:  5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program
Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: George Hammond
Also know: In association with Humanities West and the San Francisco Opera