Wagner's four operas of the Ring of the Nibelung stand at the heart of Western musical tradition, exercising a hold on the public imagination because of the infinite variety and multiplicity of its content, both musical and textual. Wagner famously distilled the essences of the whole Nordic‑Germanic Medieval tradition in shaping his texts through their complex genesis. The outcome was a unique synthesis that encompasses life’s key questions: on the meaning of time, on destiny, freedom, love, power, purpose, creation and life itself. What is the most important element in our experience? Why does love seem to be preeminent?
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Key features
Course delivery and schedule
Each weekend course features seven sessions (1.5 hours each) running from Friday evening to Sunday lunchtime plus regular breaks for meals and refreshments. On Saturday there’s also a longer break after lunch to relax, read or enjoy the gardens of Madingley Hall.
Course overview
The music of Wagner exerts such emotional power and provides such life enhancing joy that the composer must be regarded as one of the most significant and arresting figures in all art. Of all Wagner’s works, the Ring is surely his masterpiece – one of grandest and most ambitious artistic projects ever and carried to completion by a single human mind. Adapting the legends of Teutonic and Nordic mythology, this operatic tetralogy explores the range of human experience and emotions, the great symbols of the collective unconscious, to investigate mankind’s questions about life and relationships, the search for meaning and the desire to be set free from our limitations and imperfections. This course will explore the nature of Wagner’s music and drama, using ideas from history, theology, philosophy, politics and psychology to reflect on its implications. Is there such a thing as destiny? What is the meaning of time in the human story?
Aims
This course aims to:
- explore the musical heritage of Richard Wagner's music dramas
- deepen the elements of musical appreciation and analysis
- better understand the multifarious thematic implications of the music and the drama
- contextualize this in the intellectual heritage of Western culture
Course sessions
Please arrive between 4:30pm and 6:30pm. You can meet other course members in the Bar which opens at 6:15pm. Tea and coffee-making facilities are available in the bedrooms.
Friday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:30pm to 10:00pm | Introduction. Prologue/Exposition: Das Rheingold. Creation and Original Sin (Protology) |
| 10:00pm | Terrace Bar open for informal discussion |
Saturday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:30am | Breakfast (for residents only) |
| 9:00am to 10:30am | Adagio: Die Walküre. Law and Love (Morality) (Part 1) |
| 10:30am | Coffee |
| 11:00am to 12:30pm | Die Walküre (Part 2) |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm to 4:00pm | Free time |
| 4:00pm | Tea |
| 4:30pm to 6:00pm | Scherzo: Siegfried. Youth and Maturity (Rites of Passage) (Part 1) |
| 6:30pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm to 9:30pm | Siegfried (Part 2) |
| 9:30pm | Terrace Bar open for informal discussion |
Sunday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:30am | Breakfast (for residents only) |
| 9:00am to 10:30am | Finale: Götterdämmerung. Society and Salvation (Eschatology) (Part 1) |
| 10:30am | Coffee |
| 11:00am to 12:30pm | Götterdämmerung (Part 2) |
| 12:45pm | Lunch |
The course ends after lunch.
Presentation of the course
The course will be built around the music of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, played on CD. There will be constant allusion to the intellectual and cultural background out of which the tetralogy emerged, and discussion of the many thematic and symbolic concerns implicit to the drama and the music, and its reflection of the human condition. A strong visual dimension will be part of this process.
Learning outcomes
- a fuller knowledge of the life and work of Richard Wagner
- a deeper insight into the nature and style of the musical and dramatic elements of his art
- a greater capacity to examine and analyse the themes and symbols at work in his operas
- an expanded familiarity with the musical and literary elements of music and opera generally
- an increased capacity to recognize, explore and identify with individual, philosophical, moral or religious points of view in personal experience
As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:
- have greater knowledge of Richard Wagner as man and artist
- have closer insight into his monumental Ring tetralogy and its many challenges
- feel greater fluency in appreciating the genre of opera as musical and as literary drama
- have a more precise sense of the currency and chronology of ideas and influences in the culture of Western Europe
Reading and resources list
There are no compulsory readings for this course.
Venue and accommodation
About Madingley Hall
Built in the 16th century, Madingley Hall is set in eight acres of landscaped gardens designed by Capability Brown. Madingley is just four miles from the centre of Cambridge and 60 minutes from London, with excellent links to London airports.
As a student you will enjoy award-winning cuisine in our elegant dining hall and first-rate facilities in an inspiring setting.
Accommodation
You can book to stay in the comfortable rooms at Madingley Hall, with views over the woods, gardens and courtyard. Each en-suite room has wi-fi, TV, phone, and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Breakfast is also included.
A lift gives access to two bedrooms adapted for wheelchair users. All ground floor areas can be reached once inside the building. A lift also gives access to first floor teaching rooms for those unable to use stairs. Let us know any additional requirements when booking.
If you choose to stay nearby, no problem. You’ll still be able to enjoy the grounds during the day and enjoy the award-winning cuisine in our elegant dining hall. Lunch and dinner is included in the course price.
If space permits, non-participant guests over the age of 18 may accompany a course attendee for the weekend.
For information on accommodation fees, see our ‘Fees and funding’ section below.
Dietary requirements
If you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies, please indicate these when booking.
Getting to Madingley Hall
Madingley Hall is located in the village of Madingley (CB23 8AQ), four miles west of Cambridge. It is easily accessible from the M11, A14 and A428.
If you are arriving in Cambridge by train you can take a taxi to Madingley Hall. Please contact Reception to book a taxi for your return journey.
Parking
Free on-site car parking is available and we have a small number of spaces close to the Hall entrance for Blue Badge holders.
Fees
| Weekend course | Fee |
|---|---|
| Including tuition, lunches, evening meals, tea and coffee | £435 |
| Accommodation, including bed and breakfast | Fee for Friday and Saturday night |
|---|---|
| Single room (£85 per night) | £170 |
| Double or twin room: shared with another course attendee (£65 per night, per person) | £130 |
| Double or twin room: for single occupancy (£110 per night) | £220 |
| Double or twin room for a guest (not attending a course) sharing with a course attendee: £65 per night plus 20% VAT | £156 |
| Meals for guests | Fee (including 20% VAT) |
|---|---|
| Dinner: Friday and Saturday. Lunch: Saturday and Sunday | £162 |
Guests must pay for accommodation and meals. These charges are subject to VAT.
Accommodation for verified carers is provided free of charge however, meals must be paid for.
If you’re sharing a room with a carer, please use the 'Ask a question' button to discuss further details before the booking deadline.
Booking extra nights
Want to stay longer? You can book the Sunday night after your course at the same weekend bed and breakfast rate. Please note that dinners are not provided on a Sunday evening.
If you wish to arrive early (before Friday) you will need to make a separate booking with Madingley Hall (charges may differ).
Financial support
We offer a range of concessions for our weekend courses:
- State School Teacher Concession: 25% reduction of tuition fee for any teacher with Qualified Teacher Status working in a UK state-funded school or Further Education institution.
- Benefits Concession: 25% reduction of tuition fee for recipients of a UK state benefit. Examples of benefits may include Universal Credit, Job Seekers’ Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Carer's Allowance or Attendance Allowance, or Pension Credit.
- University of Cambridge staff concession: 25% reduction of tuition fee for employees who hold a permanent contract of employment with the University.
- Cambridge Alumni (CAMCard) concession: 10% reduction of tuition fee for Cambridge University alumni.
You will be asked to upload current proof of status for all concessions when booking. If you are applying for the Benefits Concession, you must be in receipt of the benefit at the time of booking and documents must be dated within the last 12 months.
Please see our concessions page for further details.
Who can attend?
Our weekend courses are open to all adult learners. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level. No academic qualifications are required, most courses are suitable for students who are new to the subject. Please complete any required reading listed in your course materials before the course starts. This enables you to fully participate and get the maximum enjoyment out of your course.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, you will need to be confident understanding and following discussions presented in written and spoken English at University level and will need to satisfy yourself that you have the appropriate level of English language proficiency. As a guide, we would suggest you need near-native command of the language, with levels around IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 92. Please contact us if you are unsure.
Student support and welfare
We welcome learners of all backgrounds and abilities and are committed to providing learners with disabilities and/or medical conditions equal opportunities and access to their chosen course of study.
We are committed to developing an inclusive learning and teaching environment and will seek to make reasonable adjustments where possible to enable learners to reach their full potential whilst studying with us.
Please let us know about any support requirements when booking so that we can work to support you.
Late bookings
Whilst we accept late bookings, for sustainability reasons we cannot always accommodate complex dietary/allergen or other additional support requirements for any bookings received or any dietary/additional support requirements notified after the booking deadline. Please consider this if you are asking to book after the deadline and have special dietary or additional support requirements.
Booking a weekend course
To book a weekend course click the 'Book now' button in the course details section on this page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address and pay for your course by credit or debit card.
If the course is full, the ‘Book now’ button will be replaced with ‘Add to waitlist’.
Please let us know about any support requirements when booking so that we can work to support you.
Payments
Payment can be made by credit/debit card using our secure online booking system, unless otherwise arranged. You can pay in full at the time of booking or pay in two instalments (the first instalment will be 15% of the full fee, the 85% balance will be taken automatically two weeks before the course starts if your payment card is stored in our system). For bookings received later than 14 days before the start of the course, payment must be made in full.
Booking deadlines
Bookings close 5 days before the start of the course. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking, the ‘Book now’ button will be replaced with ‘Add to waitlist’. Please add yourself to the waiting list and we will notify you, by email, if a place becomes available. We always recommend that you book early and well before the booking deadline to avoid disappointment.
Booking terms and conditions
Before booking your course, please ensure that you have read and understood our booking terms and conditions.
