Faculty Seminars
For upcoming Faculty Seminars, please check Summer @ BOLLI.
BOLLI offers seminars led by distinguished faculty members in the summer and winter months.
Winter 2024/5 Faculty Seminars
In the recent New York Times feature on the hundred greatest books since 2000, Helen DeWitt's The Last Samurai came in 29th, and some follow-up articles suggested it should be ranked even higher. The book, first published in 2000, has nothing to do with the 2003 Tom Cruise movie. (DeWitt wanted to call it The Seventh Samurai, but the film studio was afraid of confusion so they agreed on her title.) The book is wonderful and unforgettable -- profoundly funny, hilarious, and moving, and persistently and brilliantly inventive and deep at the same time. Its two main characters (a brilliant mother and her genius pre-adolescent son) are obsessed with the movie, which -- in completely unexpected ways -- shows them how to lead their own lives. DeWitt will zoom in for our last class, and that promises to be a memorable experience.
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
2:00pm-4:45pm ET
Location: Zoom
The seminar is now full. Contact Dom Restivo at bolli@brandeis.edu to be added to the waitlist.
Giacomo Puccini's operas evince a brilliance that made him a worthy successor to Verdi. Born in Lucca in 1858, he grew up steeped in an Italian operatic tradition that had first flourished in the early baroque period. Puccini lived well into the 20th century and thus, lived through the seismic musical shifts brought about by the then-nascent modernist movement. Despite this, his music eschews much of the modernist aesthetic, instead embracing the romantic spirit that had flourished in Italian opera throughout the 19th century. From Manon Lescaut to Turandot, listeners appreciate the sublime scores filled with unforgettable melodies, exotic influences, and stirring climaxes that leave an indelible mark on the audience member. These musical moments frame stories of love, betrayal, adventure, and often, hope smashed asunder. During this series, Professor Gil Harel will discuss the remarkable (and often scandalous) biography of a man whose works remain ensconced in the operatic repertoire all over the western world.
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
Monday, January 13 - Friday, January 17, 2025
9:30am-12:15pm ET
Location: Zoom
The seminar is now full. Contact Dom Restivo at bolli@brandeis.edu to be added to the waitlist.
Past Seminars
"Macbeth Noir"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"From Bach to Beethoven: Music in the 18th Century"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"Hag-seed: Shakespeare's The Tempest Retold"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"Beethoven's Shadow"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"Hamnet:" A Novel of the Plague
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"A Night at the Opera"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"Mozart: Man, Myth, Legacy"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"A Midsummer's Night Dream"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"The Rise of the Virtuoso"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"The Great Gatsby"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"The Plot Against America"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"Music in the Theater: From 'Madama Butterfly' to 'Wicked'"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"The Birth of the Musical Baroque: From Vivaldi and Corelli to Handel and Bach"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"Shakespeare's Coriolanus and Political Tragedy"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"The Music and the Nations: European Legacies"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
"To Kill a Mockingbird: After 60 Years"
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
"Mighty and Immeasurable Beethoven"
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology