From Wagner’s «Ring» to «Star Wars»

For his festival theater in Bayreuth, Richard Wagner conceived of a «room designed for nothing other than watching». This description fits a movie theater equally well. But Wagner died twelve years before the first moving pictures. How he would have reacted to film, therefore, remains a matter of speculation. What is undisputed, however, is his influence on film music. Together with the film publicist Thomas Binotto, we draw several arcs between Wagner’s monumental work and the art of film. In the process, Walt Disney emerges as Wagner’s visionary soulmate. We learn about the storyboard concept, which was developed in Disney’s studios, as a means of managing complex character constellations and plot structures. The hero's journey is discovered as a dramaturgical principle that both Siegfried and Luke Skywalker adhere to. Connections are made between Wagner’s idea of a Gesamtkunstwerk and the film montage. We examine the multi-layered motif of the forest - both in the Ring des Nibelungen and in Lord of the Rings. And John Williams and his leitmotif music for Star Wars demonstrate Wagner's immense influence on film music.

March until June 2024 (Details see German version)
CHF 20
Direction: Thomas Binotto and Roger Lämmli

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Prior knowledge not necessary