Overview

In Opera as Art: Philosophical Sketches, Paul Thom argues for opera as an art, standing alongside other artforms that employ visual and sonic media to embody the great themes of human life. Thom contends that in great operatic art, the narrative and expressive content collaborate with the work's aesthetic qualities towards achieving this aim. This argument can be extended to modern operatic productions. At their best, these stagings are works of art in themselves, whether they give faithful renditions of the operas they stage and whether their aims go beyond interpretation to commentary and critique. This book is a philosophical introduction to the key practices that comprise the world of opera: the making of the work; its interpretation by directors, critics, and spectators; and the making of an operatic production. Opera has always existed in a context of philosophical ideas, and this book is written for opera-lovers who would like to learn something about that philosophical context.

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9781666914252

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Reviews

"""This valuable and very readable book offers a compelling philosophical account of opera as artwork and supports it with detailed case studies of major operas from Monteverdi's Orfeo to Berg's Wozzeck. Each opera is studied in relation to a selected modern production, and the author's evaluations of these are fascinating."" --Michael Ewans, University of Newcastle Australia"

"""This valuable and very readable book offers a compelling philosophical account of opera as artwork and supports it with detailed case studies of major operas from Monteverdi’s Orfeo to Berg’s Wozzeck. Each opera is studied in relation to a selected modern production, and the author’s evaluations of these are fascinating."" -- Michael Ewans, University of Newcastle Australia"

"""This valuable and very readable book offers a compelling philosophical account of opera as artwork and supports it with detailed case studies of major operas from Monteverdi's Orfeo to Berg's Wozzeck. Each opera is studied in relation to a selected modern production, and the author's evaluations of these are fascinating."""

Author Information

Paul Thom is a philosopher-musician and adjunct professor in the School of Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Sydney and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

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