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Poetry and Drama into Music

Evening Lecture/Seminar

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET
Code: 1M2190
Location:
This program is part of our
Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
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$30
Member
$35
Non-Member
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"Faust and Lilith" (detail) by Richard Westall, 1831

Music, poetry, and theater are truly sister arts. As such, over the centuries, they have been embraced and brought together in works that have often reflected the best of human creativity.

In this fascinating program, opera and classical music scholar Saul Lilienstein leads us through sublime examples of the great synthesis of the arts: the Schubert songs inspired by Goethe’s poetry; Gounod’s opera Faust, based on Goethe’s drama; Giuseppe Verdi, taking on the challenge of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Othello, and The Merry Wives of Windsor; Igor Stravinsky, finding a modern voice within Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex; 19th-century Russian composers building new sounds upon the language of Alexander Pushkin. 

Lilienstein’s lively lecture, enhanced by the finest video recordings, examines what has been gained and what has been lost in the transformation of one art form into another.

Patron Information

  • If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
  • Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
  • Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
  • Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
  • View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.