15. Mendelssohn and the Jewish Enlightenment

12 October 2020, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Presented in association with TORCH, with support from the Humanities Cultural Programme, and the Bodleian Libraries

The Bodleian Libraries house one of two major collections of Felix Mendelssohn’s manuscripts, the other being in Berlin. Martin Holmes, Alfred Brendel Curator of Music at the Bodleian, shows us some of these important scores, letters, and paintings, and tells the story of how they ended up in Oxford.

Within our wide-ranging exploration of the Enlightenment, Philip Bullock is joined by Avi Lifschitz, Professor of History at Magdalen College, whose research explores the intellectual and cultural history of Europe in the long eighteenth century (c. 1680-1815). They delve into the ideas of the Jewish Enlightenment and to what extent Felix, grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, was influenced by this.

Throughout the event, we hear some of Mendelssohn’s songs performed by two exceptional young musicians from the Royal Academy of Music.

JOIN IN:
The talk and music for this event will be pre-recorded but will be introduced live by our speakers, who will also be available to answer any questions at the end. During the event, please email any questions (songconnections@oxfordlieder.co.uk) or post them on social media (#OLF2020), and we will answer as many as time allows.