This is a survey-course, looking at works from the international
performing arts repertoire, all of which have had—and continue to
have—a major influence on world culture. Most of the performances
surveyed can, because of time-restrictions, be shown only in
excerpts, although on four evenings we shall show full-length
performances. There is considerable emphasis on performing
traditions from outside the generally-accepted Western repertoire.

Since the aim is for you to encounter (if you do not know them
already) some wonderful examples of the performing arts, most of
every class will be devoted to recorded examples; there will be
relatively little commentary and the work-assignment schedule is
light: the stress is on your experiencing the works themselves.

This is a new course; it is an exploration of the arts themselves,
rather than of the systems for their organization and management,
though those are of course intrinsic to any such journey. Its
intention is to delight as well as to inform: if some of the
recordings we have not yet found turn up mid-way through the course
we shall adjust the schedule to fit them in. Even if they don’t,
there is already a glorious array of works to meet or meet again,
all in remarkable performances.