Upcoming webinar series with MRT lecturers
last updated on 19/04/21
Building London – three online talks by Martin Randall
5 July–6 September 2021
1. The Red Revolution: how London changed colour (5th July)
2. Building the National Gallery: constraints, complaints and consolations (2nd August)
3. Terraces, Squares & Fake Palaces: London’s contribution to urban design (6th September)
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The Operas of Mozart – five online talks by Ian Page
16 June–21 July 2021
1. Nature plus Nurture: an operatic childhood (16th June)
2. Towards Idomeneo: the apotheosis of ‘opera seria’ (23rd June)
3. A Marriage Made in Heaven: text and subtext in The Marriage of Figaro (30th June)
(Please note that there is no talk on 7th July.)
4. Schools for Lovers: The Da Ponte Legacy (14th July)
5. Clemency and the Pursuit of ‘True Opera’ (21st July)
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Renaissance Masterpieces, Further Mysteries – six online talks by Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
8 June–13 July 2021
1. Jan Van Eyck’s ‘Arnolfini double portrait’: marriage and the celebration of prosperity (8th June)
2. Donato Bramante’s ‘Tempietto’: Roman renewal and the memorialisation of St. Peter (15th June)
3. Giorgione’s ‘Three Philosophers’: the mysteries of nature explored (22nd June)
4. Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Melencolia I’: allegory of the artist as genius (29th June)
5. Donatello’s bronze ‘David’: Biblical hero as pagan idol (6th July)
6. Hans Holbein’s ‘Two Ambassadors’: confidential mission to the court of Henry VIII (13th July)
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The Silk Road: faiths, fortunes and empires – six online talks by Dr Peter Webb
17 May–3 June 2021
1. Dayakhatyn Caravanserai (Turkmenistan): What was the Silk Road? (17th May)
2. Termez (Uzbekistan): Buddhism, Islam and Religious Exchange (19th May)
3. Turfan (China): The Uyghurs before Xinjiang (24th May)
4. Bukhara (Uzbekistan): Cash and Vikings on the Silk Road (26th May)
5. Khotan (China): The backstory to Mongol Success (31st May)
6. Khiva (Uzbekistan): The Slave Trade and first European glimpses of the Silk Road (2nd June)
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Wagner’s Ring – five online talks by Barry Millington
4 May–1 June 2021
1. Introduction: the musical and intellectual world of Wagner’s Ring (4th May)
2. Das Rheingold: The theft of the gold (11th May)
3. Die Walküre: The guilty god and his favourite daughter (18th May)
4. Siegfried: Dragon-slayer and child of nature (25th May)
5. Götterdämmerung: The fall of the gods (1st June)
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Aspects of Art – eight online talks by eight authoritative speakers
29 April–17 June 2021
1. ‘This Mental Picture’: expression in art by Desmond Shawe-Taylor (29th April)
2. Washington Crossing the Delaware: Whose painting? Whose history? by Mary Lynn Riley (6th May)
3. The Wallace Collection: past, present and a fragile future by Dr Xavier Bray (13th May)
4. John Singer Sargent: ‘the portrait of the year’ by Patrick Bade (20th May)
5. La Linea Italiana: Italian design excellence, 1945–65 by Dr Philippa Joseph (27th May)
6. Michelangelo v Leonardo: Florence circa 1504 by Per Rumberg (3rd June)
7. The Colour of Cities: a hidden history of taste by Patrick Baty (10th June)
8. Picasso’s Guernica: Anti-War Icon of the 20th Century by Gijs van Hensbergen (17th June)
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Makers of Versailles: from Glory and Excess to Revolution and Resurrection – four online talks by Professor Antony Spawforth
6–27 April 2021
1. From Hunting Lodge to the Sun King’s Palace (1624–1715) (6th April)
2. The Age of Madame de Pompadour (1722–1724) (13th April)
3. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (1774–1792) (20th April)
4. Versailles Resurrected (1793 until now) (27th April)
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The English Medieval Parish Church – six online talks by John McNeill
22 March–2 April 2021
1. Origins: mushrooms in the night (22nd March)
2. Kilpeck: sculptural genius and the ‘Herefordshire School’ (24th March)
3. Fenland churches: longer, taller and fully aisled (26th March)
4. The Decorated Explosion: every window a different design? (29th March)
5. Perpendicular Churches: transforming the landscape (31st March)
6. Long Melford: village identity and family pride (2nd April)
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Musings on Music – an eight-part multi-speaker webinar series
4 March–22 April 2021
1. Mahler Eight: birth in Munich, death in Venice by Stephen Johnson (4th March)
2. Backstage at the Opera: Welsh National Opera at work by Simon Rees (11th March)
3. Re-Wilding Handel: the composer as landscape artist by Jonathan Keates (18th March)
4. The Healing Power of Music: hope, inspiration and kinship by Clare Hammond (25th March)
5. Mozart's Last Year: myths and misconceptions by Richard Wigmore (1st April)
6. Wagner and Vienna: Fin-de-Siècle hothouse and the Gesamtkunstwerk by Barry Millington (8th April)
7. Josquin des Prez: what made him a ‘Master of Musicians’? by Professor John Bryan (15th April)
8. The Life of Music: performance across the centuries by Sir Nicholas Kenyon (22nd April)
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From Mycenae to Mysore: Epic Stories in Ancient Greece, India, and the Middle East – six online talks by Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
9 February–16 March 2021
New subscribers have until 11th May to watch all episodes.
1. Epics in the Ancient World: Ideas of Transmission (9th February)
2. Homer: Gods and Mortals (16th February)
3. Gilgamesh: The Art of Being Human (23rd February)
4. Mahabharata: The Universe Explained (2nd March)
5. Ramayana: Gods, Heroes and Monkey Kings (9th March)
6. Shahnameh: the Persian Epic of Kings (16th March)
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Frequently asked questions
What methods of payment do you accept?
An electronic invoice will be sent to your e-mail address 1–3 working days after you have completed our registration form. Payment can be made online using AMEX, Apple Pay, Google Pay, MasterCard or Visa.
How do I purchase the webinar series as a gift?
Please contact us specifying how many subscriptions you would like and who they are for (we require their full name and e-mail address). We will invoice you directly, and after we have received your payment we will release the webinar joining instructions to your friend(s) or family member(s).
Can I purchase a single episode?
No, unfortunately not. The series must be purchased in full.
How do I join the webinar?
An e-mail confirmation will be sent to you after you have paid for your subscription, which includes your unique link for joining the webinar. Reminder e-mails will be sent to you one day and one hour before each event. We recommend that you download the Zoom software in advance of the first webinar.
Can I watch the live broadcast(s) on more than one device?
Only one device can be connected to the live broadcast(s) at any one time. If you wish to purchase a second subscription, please contact us.
What happens if I am unable to attend the live broadcast(s)?
A recording will be uploaded to a dedicated webpage approximately two hours after the live broadcast. For copyright reasons, these recordings cannot be made available indefinitely; access is granted for eight weeks after the final live broadcast of the series.
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