Romantic Empire is focus of talks

The instructor is James Reel, popular morning on-air personality at KUAT-FM radio.

The Romantic Movement had relatively little to do with what is popularly thought of as things "romantic." Historically, it was a period of revolution in the United States and France. Partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, which brought with it smoky, unbreathable air and polluted waterways, Romanticism initially favored the politics of the liberal, even the radical, but eventually found its way to much more conservative nationalism.

Reel will concentrate on the arts in Europe's two most culturally influential cities at the close of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. He describes it as a time when "innovators began to feed on the decaying remains of the Romantic Movement."

Wednesday's first session will overview the fin de siècle - end of the century - in Paris and Vienna. Both cities were becoming more conservative, while young artists were striving to create something avant-garde out of the "last vestiges of the decades-dominant Romantic Movement."

In subsequent sessions, Reel will cover "Art" on Aug. 15, contrasting painters such as Toulouse-Lautrec with the quite different aims of the more practical Art Nouveau. "Literature" will be the focus on Aug. 22, primarily a discussion of the novel "Against the Grain" and selected quasi-Freudian plays.

The series will conclude on Aug. 29 with "Music," focusing on works from Franck to Strauss and Mahler.

Reel is Arizona Public Media's classical music director. In print, he's the music editor of Fanfare and a contributing editor to Strings magazine. He frequently gives pre-performance talks for various arts organizations. He also serves as president of Winding Road Theater Ensemble and of Chamber Music Plus.

Academy Village is an active-adult community off Old Spanish Trail six miles southeast of Saguaro National Park East. Concerts and lectures are free and open to the public.

Because of the popularity of educational and cultural events at the academy and with its limited seating, visitors are advised to make advance reservations at info@arizonasenioracademy.org

If you go

• What: "The Decline and Fall of the Romantic Empire; Cultural Decadence in Paris and Vienna," first in a four-part series of lectures by James Reel

• When: 2:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 8, 15, 22 and 29

• Where: Arizona Senior Academy Building at Academy Village, 13715 E. Langtry Lane

• Admission: Free; donations accepted

• Reservations: Recommended; email info@arizonasenioracademy.org or call 647-0980