The Wagner Society of Washington DC Presents a free lecture: "The
Dialectics in Die Meistersinger: Sacred Rituals in the Awakened State"

WASHINGTON, D.C.  ---- The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.  will
continue its "Year of Die Meistersinger" events with a lecture by its
own member, Carol Berger, a noted Wagnerian musicologist.  Titled "The
Dialectics in Die Meistersinger: Sacred Rituals in the Awakened State,"
it will be presented on Thursday, March 14th at 7:30 P.M.  at the George
Washington University, Funger Hall 108, 2201 G Street, N.W.

Four years after its premiere in Munich, Richard Wagner reflected on
the sensibility of Die Meistersinger saying, "When future generations
seek refreshment in this unique work, may they spare a thought for
the tears from which the smiles arose" -- Wagner's own jarring advice
on understanding Die Meistersinger: a work of irony, subconscious
inspiration, disappointment, sacrifice, and artistic altruism.  Carol
Berger will conduct an excursion through the philosophical, psychological
and artistic currents that transverse this complex Wagnerian drama.  She
also will examine the fate of the artist in society, based on a Greek
ideal, a reflection of the personal sacrifice that Richard Wagner made in
order to create a body of art never before attempted, or equaled after,
by anyone else.  Berger views Wagner's music dramas as psychodramas that
explore the unconscious mind, Eastern aesthetics and ethics, enlightened
utopianism, and socialist thought.  She focuses on cerebral, metaphysical
and sociological elements, which weave a common thread through all Wagner
dramas.

Carol Berger is a musicologist specializing in the music dramas of Wagner
and Richard Strauss.  She also is an expert in musical rhetoric and Baroque
opera.  Her upcoming book, "Wagner's Hand in Die Frau Ohne Schatten: The
Nexus of the Swan" will describe the connections between the two composers'
works and clarify the musical and metaphysical influence of Wagner on the
mature dramas of Richard Strauss.

After a short career as a ballet dancer, Carol Berger obtained degrees in
music theory and musicology from the Manhattan School of Music and City
University of New York.  She worked with Rene Jacobs on various opera,
recording, and recital projects in Europe.  She also worked on productions
of Concerto Vocale, La Petite Bande, the Holland Festival, the Festwoche
des Altes Muzik in Innsbruck, London's Wigmore Hall Concert Series, and
Amici della Musica in Sicily.  She is the author of thirty-five articles
and reviews published by music journals, other periodicals, and record
companies.

The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.  is a private, non- profit
organization for the study and enjoyment of Wagner's art.  Its series of
lectures, the Evelyn Lear and Thomas Stewart Emerging Singers concert, and
other events will continue through June 2002.  Many programs are free to
the public.

Further information:Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.  P.O.  Box 33051,
Washington, D.C.  20033 Telephone 301.907.2600 www.wagner-dc.org (Posted at
behest of Tom Arthur who is currently abroad)

Janice Rosen