The eternal love story of Romeo and Juliet has inspired Bellini, Gounod, Delius, Sutermeister; the dark existential questioning of the tragedies of Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello have produced powerful operatic adaptations by Thomas, Verdi and Rossini. The larger than life character of Falstaff and The Merry Wives of Windsor have been a recurrent source of fascination to composers like Balfe, Nicolai and Verdi, as have the teasing ambiguities of the problem plays (like Measure for Measure and Troilus and Cressida) for Wagner and Walton.
The wit of the comedies (like Much Ado About Nothing) and the magical enchantment of A Midsummer Night's Dream have inspired masterpieces by Purcell, Berlioz and Britten. As we commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the course aims to capture something of the eternal outreach of the poet's unsurpassed knowledge of life and the human condition, using his texts and the multifarious music it has inspired in every age.
Course programme
Please plan to arrive between 10:00 and 12:00. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the study bedrooms.
Sunday
13:00 Lunch
14:30 Chronological Introduction
16:00 Tea
16:30 Comedies 1 (Purcell, Mendelssohn, Britten, Berlioz, Goetz, Balfe, Nicolai, Verdi, Vaughan Williams, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers)
18:30 Dinner
20:00 Comedies 2
21:30 Terrace bar open for informal discussion
Monday
07:30 Breakfast
09:00 Tragedies 1 (Thomas, Verdi, Rossini, Vaccai, Bellini, Gounod, Berlioz, Delius, Sutermeister, Rota, Barber, Riemann)
10:30 Coffee
11:00 Tragedies 2
12:45 Lunch
14:00 Problem Plays & Romances (Wagner, Walton, Purcell, Sibelius)
15:30 Course disperses
Dietary Requirements
If you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies please inform our Admissions Team on ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 746262 if you have not already advised us of your requirements.
Additional Requirements
Further information about student support.
