Maestro, Oppenheimer, Napoleon and The Crown – did they get it right? Go behind the screen and dig deeper with classes on Leonard Bernstein, Napoleon, Oppenheimer and Queen Elizabeth II.
Every era has its crises, and our own time is no exception. Explore the current situation in the Middle East and the divisions in the United States of 1860 that led to the Civil War.
Plus great fiction, the soul music genius of Isaac Hayes, the brilliance of birds, medieval feasting and more Winter classes on sale now from Roundtable, the online learning platform offering a wide variety of courses by experts from around the world.
Here are some highlights from each section – all times ET.
BOTTICELLI DRAWINGS
Dr. Furio Rinaldi
Tue, Jan 16, 1 pm, $44
It is the breathtaking paintings of Sandro Botticelli, works like La Primavera (ca. 1477) and The Birth of Venus (ca. 1485), that cemented the Italian artist as one of the most beloved painters in history. Yet his work as a draftsman is every bit as extraordinary, and far less appreciated. This exciting one-session course is presented alongside Botticelli Drawings at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, curated by Furio Rinaldi. The groundbreaking exhibition features rarely seen and newly attributed works, including drawings, paintings and engravings, and provides valuable insight into the design practice of an artist whose name is synonymous with the Italian Renaissance. Botticelli’s drawings offer an intimate look into the making of some of his most memorable masterpieces, such as the late Adoration of the Magi (ca. 1500), which will be reunited with its preparatory drawings. In partnership with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
THE GETTY MUSEUM’S EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD
Sara E. Cole
Thu, Jan 18, 5 pm, $44
Among their rigorous preparations for eternity, ancient Egyptians developed an intricate set of religious writings to help the deceased achieve a blessed afterlife in union with the solar god Re and the netherworld god Osiris. Known collectively as the Book of the Dead, these ritual spells were inscribed on funerary objects, including papyrus scrolls and linen mummy wrappings. This one-hour course explores a little-known collection of Book of the Dead manuscripts housed in the Antiquities Department of the J. Paul Getty Museum — the contents of which, until now, have never before been on view. Originally part of the private library of the nineteenth-century antiquary and manuscript collector Sir Thomas Phillipps, the manuscripts came to the Getty as a donation in 1983. Join antiquities curator Dr. Sara E. Cole for a close look at the exhibition, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, on view through January 29, 2024, and the forthcoming publication of the Getty Book of the Dead, both of which make this material available to the public for the very first time. In partnership with the Getty Museum.
ISAAC HAYES: THE SOUL REVOLUTION
Jeff Kollath
Tue, Feb 13, 6 pm, $44
Singer, songwriter, and producer Isaac Hayes revolutionized soul music, leading it out of the era of the three-minute single into two new areas: the completely orchestrated concept album with extended cuts and the black motion picture soundtrack. Hot Buttered Soul, released on the Enterprise label in 1969, contained only four cuts, and one, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” was over 18 minutes long. It not only became the first album to go gold for Stax Records, it hit platinum. Join Jeff Kollath, Executive Director of the Stax Museum, to learn about Hayes’ contributions to soul music, television, and motion picture industries and his dedication to activism and charitable work throughout his career. In partnership with the Stax Museum.
THE JEWELS OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Dr. Thomas Paradise
Wed, Feb 14, 11 am, $44
This fascinating talk will showcase the extraordinary jewels of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). Professor Tom Paradise will address the jewelry and accessories of the Royal Crown in addition to those gems and jewels inherited or purchased personally. He will examine stunning photographs of some of the more extravagant, historic, and notable crowns, tiaras, necklaces, bandeaus, and brooches used and owned by Queen Elizabeth II. The talk will focus on the magnificent Cullinan Diamond suite in addition to some of the largest and most magnificent sapphire, aquamarine, emerald, and ruby parures known today. As an accredited gemologist and jewelry historian in the US, UK, and abroad, Paradise will highlight the gemology and history of some of these magnificent royal jewels. Join us for an enchanting presentation on some of the most splendid and historic jewels and gemstones known today.
THE JEWISH COMPOSERS BANNED BY THE NAZIS
Michael Haas
Starts Wed, Feb 21 – Mar 13, 12 pm, $176 for 4 sessions
When National Socialism reached Germany in 1933, Jews dominated music more than virtually any other sector. This impressive presence and impact made it the most important cultural front in the Nazi fight for German identity. Musical historian and author Michael Haas will examine the Jewish composers and musicians banned by the Third Reich and the consequences for music throughout the rest of the twentieth century. Because Jewish musicians and composers were, by 1933, the principal conveyors of Germany’s historic traditions and the ideals of German culture, the isolation, exile, and persecution of Jewish musicians by the Nazis became an act of musical self-mutilation.
MAESTRO I: BERNSTEIN AND JAZZ FOR THE BALLET & CONCERT HALL
Louis Rosen
Thu, Feb 22, 1:30 pm, $55
The first session in Roundtable’s three-part “Maestro: Leonard Bernstein” series begins with an exploration of Bernstein’s unique compositional fusion of classical music and jazz, including Fancy Free and Prelude, Fugue and Riffs. The series continues on March 21 with “Maestro II: Bernstein and On the Waterfront” and April 18 with “Maestro III: Bernstein and West Side Story.”
THE MIDDLE EAST IN 2024: FORCES, FISSURES, AND THE FUTURE
Robin Wright and Ralph Buultjens
Tue, Jan 30, 7 pm, $25
Join Robin Wright, acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East, and Ralph Buultjens, noted political analyst and long-time 92NY speaker, for a talk elucidating the complex landscape of the Middle East in 2024. The current crisis is the most dangerous geopolitical conflict of recent times: an upheaval reshaping regional and global politics and unleashing radical forces with serious economic consequences for all. For Israel, the prospect of prolonged war with neighbors, internal political fractures, and unprecedented tensions with the international Jewish communities all loom large on the horizon. For other countries in the Middle East — like Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — the possibility of continued dangerous turmoil persists. For the United States, China, Russia, and the European Union, this conflict may harken the arrival of a new cold war. All of these factors lead up to one key question: Could this be the precursor of World War III? Wright and Buultjens will seek answers to this and other pressing questions.
AMERICA, 1860: THE IMPENDING CRISIS
Christopher Graham
Thu, Feb 21 & 29, 11 am, $88 for 2 sessions
Why did social and political divisions during a contentious election year lead Americans to take up arms against one another? The presidential election of 1860 brought into sharp focus the United States’ divides over slavery — and American’s ideas of prosperity, safety, and even the possibility of a multiracial nation. Abraham Lincoln’s election represented an irreconcilable rupture for white southerners, who bolted the Union as a response. This two-part course will go beyond the usual tropes of the causes of the Civil War to explore what slavery meant to white and Black Americans. How did cultural markers like romantic novels, snug immigrant communities, political conventions of non-voters, the paternalism of small families, and a dashing Hungarian radical all explain what Americans considered to be at stake in the sectional conflict? Join Christopher A. Graham, Curator of Exhibitions at the American Civil War Museum, in this fresh and relevant take on the convulsion of democracy in 1860. In partnership with the American Civil War Museum.
NAPOLEON: THE MAN AND THE MYTH
Jeremy Black
Tue, Jan 16 & Thu, Jan 18, 12:30 pm, $88 for 2 sessions
“History is a set of lies that people have agreed upon.” – attributed to Napoleon.
Why does the figure of Napoleon continue to fascinate? From early in his career, Napoleon built a reputation as an enlightened leader, encouraging a disregard for birthright over ability. However, while in power he held tightly the reins of commentary, from press to the theater. Was his a quest of self-interest, or one for the greater good of all? Born into an island nation defeated by France, Napoleon would go on to rule and grow the empire he felt so wrongly treated his homeland. What does his life tell us about the person he really was? How realistic are his portrayals in popular culture, and what influence did he have on solidifying his own legacy? These questions are at the heart of this fascinating two-session course with historian Jeremy Black, author of three books dedicated to scholarship on the French ruler. Known as one of the University of Exeter’s most distinguished academics, Black trains his world-renowned expertise on one of history’s most consequential figures. He will explore Napoleon’s significance, his motivations, his image, and his legacy; he will also frame his rise and fall against the political and cultural landscape of Europe following the French Revolution.
READING ANNA KARENINA
Gary Saul Morson
Starts Fri, Jan 19 – Apr 26, 2 pm, $320 for 6 sessions
Readers and critics differ about the greatest novel ever written, but three seem to be on most people’s list: Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Anna Karenina and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. Astonishingly, these three masterpieces were written in the same ten-year span. In this course, Northwestern professor Gary Saul Morson takes readers through Anna Karenina to appreciate what makes the book so much better than other very great novels. “No one has ever understood how the mind works better than Tolstoy, and his incomparable realism depends on part on this understanding,” writes Morson.
GREAT AMERICAN FICTION WINTER 2024
Stephanie Rabinowitz
Starts Mon, Jan 29 – May 13, 6:30 pm, $195 for 5 sessions
Popular Roundtable instructor Stephanie Rabinowitz leads an exploration of five of America’s greatest written works: The Morgesons (Elizabeth Stoddard); The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay (Michael Chabon); My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Ottessa Moshfegh); and World’s End (T.C. Boyle).
READING CHARLES DICKENS’S DAVID COPPERFIELD AND BARBARA KINGSOLVER’S DEMON COPPERHEAD
Starts Mon, Mar 18 – May 6, 2 pm, $240 for 4 sessions
Day, Month Date, Time am/pm, $
Late in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, David thinks of his married life, “I think of every little trifle between me and [my wife], and feel the truth, that trifles make the sum of life.” This course will examine these trifles and show how the trials and tribulations of a young man’s life amount to much more than a chronicle of woe and drama. Dickens’ novel endeavors to show that the everyday and the quotidian becomes the stuff of a life, and therefore the essence of literature. Kyle McAuley will lead this close reading of Dickens’ classic with Barbara Kingsolver’s recent novel Demon Copperhead. A re-telling of David Copperfield set in Appalachia, Demon Copperhead considers the social and literary status of Damon (transformed from David) as a surplus boy in contemporary society. In reading the two novels together, we’ll consider how Kingsolver’s adaptation of Dickens’ novel considers certain aspects of nineteenth-century society to resonate with our contemporary moment.
OPPENHEIMER AND THE HISTORY OF THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
Bruce J. Hunt
Starts Wed, Jan 24 – Feb 7, 11 am, $120 for 3 sessions
The development of the first atomic bombs was one of the most dramatic and consequential events of the past century, as Christopher Nolan’s recent film Oppenheimer makes clear. In this course, historian Bruce J. Hunt will trace how, in the crucible of World War II, the first atomic bombs came to be made and used against Japan. He will also examine how in 1954 J. Robert Oppenheimer, “the father of the atomic bomb,” fell victim to accusations that he was a security risk.
THE SECRET LIVES OF BIRDS: ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Max Falkenberg
Thu, Feb 8, 10 am, $35
The beauty of birds is all around us. Hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, this session is part of a larger five-part course that offers something to learn whether you are an aspiring birder or have years of experience. The course will feature up-close encounters with birds from the Zoo’s collection as well as expert guidance on the diversity of birds, how to identify them, where and when to find different species in your own community, and then how to apply the skills you are learning. Join us to learn the basics of birdwatching (more commonly known as “birding”) or just deepen your relationship with birds and nature. In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.
PAN AM AND INTERCONTINENTAL: HOW MASS TOURISM CHANGED THE WAY WE EAT
Daniel Bender
Wed, Jan 17, 7 pm, $35
During the 1960s and 1970s, at the peak of the Cold War, technology in travel and the politics of spreading democracy together created a golden age of around-the-world tourism. Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) promised luxury and touted food and drinks as the key selling point of both the journey and the destination. InterContinental Hotels similarly advertised luxury stopovers for travelers and promised an understanding of other cultures through curated menus of local specialties. As travel for pleasure became ever cheaper and accessible, when and why did local specialties become a tourist attraction? How did eating locally become a political as well as economic driver? How did foreign travelers influence dishes that would become mainstays of world cuisine? Daniel Bender, Professor of Food Studies and History and the Canada Research Chair in Food and Culture at the University of Toronto, dives into the rise of mass tourism in this exploration of how we became food adventurers abroad and at home.
EATING LIKE A KING: FOOD AND FEASTING IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Francine Segan
Thu, Jan 25, 6:30 pm, $34
The Middle Ages have long fascinated the imagination with tales of brave knights, fearless Kings, and fire-breathing dragons. The feasts of these adventurous times were fanciful events where dinner guests ate concoctions like roast peacock on “bread” platters and were entertained by minstrels between courses. Medieval hosts surprised guests with fanciful dishes such as tiny meatballs shaped like little pears, huge savory pies with animal claws poking out, and baked dough “fountains” flowing with spiced wine. This amusing lecture includes a handout of delicious Medieval recipes.
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