Not without Madness: Perspectives on Opera
Author(s): Fabrizio Della Seta (Author), Mark Weir (Translator)
- Publisher: University of Chicago Press
- Publication Date: November 22, 2012
- Language: English
- Print length: 303 pages
- ISBN-10: 0226749142
- ISBN-13: 9780226749143
Book Description
In these twelve essays, Fabrizio Della Seta explores the concept of opera as a dramatic event and an essential moment in the history of theater. Examining the meaning of opera and the devices that produce and transmit this meaning, he looks at the complex verbal, musical, and scenic mechanisms in parts of
La sonnambula, Ernani, Aida, Le nozze di Figaro, Macbeth, and Il trovatore. He argues that approaches to the study of opera must address performance, interpretation, composition, reception, and cultural ramifications. Purely musical analysis does not make sense unless we take into account music’s dramatic function. Containing many essays available for the first time in English, Not without Madness bridges recent divisions in opera studies and will attract musicologists, musicians, and opera lovers alike.Editorial Reviews
Review
“An admirable contribution to opera criticism. Fabrizio Della Seta explores, with great insight, some of the most beloved and influential operas by Mozart, Meyerbeer, Verdi, and others. His remarks on the ways in which these works have been discussed by generations of critics and scholars are immensely thoughtful and stimulating.” ―
Ralph P. Locke, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester“Dense and erudite, these essays will be valuable to those interested in 19th-century opera criticism.” ―
Choice“There is much here to satisfy any reader with an interest in getting a close look at some key operatic moments.”
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“Della Seta’s chapters delight in the joys and sorrows of opera as ongoing cultural practice and as evolving field of study.”
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