Haberman Institute Focus on Culture: Music
Presented by Saul Lilienstein
Music Historian, Smithsonian Affiliates in D.C., Johns Hopkins University, Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center
Richard Wagner remains the most controversial of the great composers. There is no question that he was an unrepentant antisemite who became a 'poster child' for Adolf Hitler in the 20th Century.
In this presentation, Lilienstein will examine if his prejudices are to be found embedded within the series of operas he created. The related situation of Jewish culture in Germany will be discussed, and the session will include recordings and videos of musical excerpts.
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Thank you to our devoted supporters for graciously sponsoring this lecture.
Thank you to Phyllis and Ira Lieberman.
Thank you to Adina and Sandy Mendelson.
A former student of Leonard Bernstein, Saul Lilienstein holds B.A. and M.S. degrees in music from Queens College. Lilienstein was for many years the Artistic Director and Conductor of Maryland’s Harford Opera Theatre and then of Operetta Renaissance in Baltimore, conducting and producing in all well over fifty operas. He initially came to the attention of Maryland audiences as Director of Music for The Handel Choir of Baltimore and the Harford Choral Society. Concurrently and continuing over the decades, Saul was the hidden presence in the choir loft of the Chizuk Amuno Congregation, directing the music.
Today, he continues as a highly regarded Professor of Music in the Washington area. His is a familiar voice at the Smithsonian Institution, Johns Hopkins University, at the Goethe Institut, for symphonic concerts at the Kennedy Center, opera lectures for Washington National Opera, and at music symposiums in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Palm Beach. Lilienstein’s subjects range from the Origins of Opera to the Origins of Jazz, from Bach and Beethoven to Music of the Gypsies, from Immigrant Cultures to Music of The Beatles. He has now completed over eight-five highly acclaimed Commentaries on CD for The Washington National Opera, analyzing the repertoire in the most extensive series of its kind in the English language.
Lilienstein's essays on music have appeared in newspapers throughout the country, in journals, and in anthologies.
Thank you to Andrew R. Ammerman for sponsoring our Spring 2024 program lineup. He dedicates the semester’s learning in loving memory of Josephine and H. Max Ammerman, Stephen C. Ammerman, and Avi West.