Dame Gwyneth is at odds with her Wagner Society
mainFrom notes to the forthcoming AGM of The Wagner Society:
11. Item for discussion – President’s Masterclass
“I, the President of the Wagner Society, wish to clarify to the Members, exactly why the Annual Event “The President’s Award for a Public Masterclass”, which was announced by the Society as one of their Singing Competition 2017 prizes, to which my husband Adrian Müller and I always donate our services, will not take place.”
(Requested by Dame Gwyneth Jones, President of the Society)
Also:
10. Item for discussion – AGM Byelaws
As the AMENDED AGM BYELAWS OF THE WAGNER SOCIETY, circulated to members on March 28th, 2018 appear to diminish important rights of the membership, this should be discussed within the membership at the AGM on May 16th, 2018.”
(Requested by Dame Gwyneth Jones, President of the Society & Adrian Muller)
riveting
I’ve read this three times and I still don’t understand what it’s about.
Same here..
Dame Gwyneth wishes to clarify to the Members the reason behind the cancellation of the Annual Event “The President’s Award for a Public Masterclass”.
Hopefully the wish will come true.
Why would Mr. Lebrecht create a headline with negative undertones in relation to a Wagner article?
Surely it is obvious why.
Can you give us a clue what this means ?
Why is Jones upset…excerpts make no sense!!
It’s quite simple. In the first instance, the President wishes to explain why a previously announced event will not take place and in the second, she wants to ensure that members have an opportunity to discuss procedural changes which will have an impact upon them.
Both reasonable and unremarkable requests, so I’m at a loss to see how this is an indication of anyone being ‘at odds’…
Who would want a Masterclass with Adrian Müller?
But what is this all about, pray?
All Wagner Societies are dysfunctional, I should know I am a member of the one in Dublin and they had an almighty row as well. The talks are good and the Xmas socials though Bayreuth itself is a real disappointment.
The London Wagner Society is far from dysfunctional. It has over 1000 members (& growing); a busy & varied programme of cultural & social events; and a diverse & energetic Committee. Anyone interested in joining (free for students) should visit http://www.wagnersociety.org.
I won’t defend all the productions at Bayreuth, but most people who go there would be surprised to hear it described as a disappointment.
Bayreuth is like Salzburg. The nobs like to flash their diamonds. Place to be seen. Eurotrash productions eg Rat costumed Lohengrin, terrible ring cycles etc.
For example, here is the next event with Dame Anne Evans:
https://wagnersociety.org/events/thepathtowagner/
THE PATH TO WAGNER
Dame Anne Evans in conversation with David Nice
THURS 10TH MAY 2018, 6:30PM FOR 7PM TO 9PM
SWEDENBORG HALL, BARTER STREET, LONDON WC1A 2TH
Dame Anne Evans first became known as a Mozart singer, but went on to become one of the leading Wagner sopranos of her generation, singing the role of Brünnhilde in the celebrated Ring cycles conducted by Daniel Barenboim at Bayreuth. Using audio and visual recordings from her long career, she and the music critic David Nice discuss the formidable hurdles a singer faces when he or she takes up the challenge of singing Wagner’s most demanding roles.
I have just seen your item on The Wagner Society. It seems a bit of a non-story, but I suspect members will be rather surprised to hear – as your headline implies – that the Society belongs to its honorary President, rather than its members.
The Telegraph has covered this in a rather more legible format.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/29/wagner-disciples-riven-personality-clashes-masterclass-cancelled/