The Cambridge Companion to Twentieth-Century Opera (Cambridge Companions to Music)

This Companion celebrates the extraordinary riches of the twentieth-century operatic repertoire in a collection of specially commissioned essays written by a distinguished team of academics, critics and practitioners. Beginning with a discussion of the century's vital inheritance from late-romantic operatic traditions in Germany and Italy, the wide-ranging text embraces fresh investigations into various aspects of the genre in the modern age, with a comprehensive coverage of the work of individual composers from Debussy and Schoenberg to John Adams and Harrison Birtwistle. Traditional stylistic categorizations (including symbolism, expressionism, neo-classicism and minimalism) are reassessed from new critical perspectives, and the distinctive operatic traditions of Continental and Eastern Europe, Russia and the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and United States are subjected to fresh scrutiny. The volume includes essays devoted to avant-garde music theatre, operettas and musicals, and filmed opera, and ends with a provocative discussion of the position of the genre in today's cultural marketplace. Opera In Transition / Arnold Whittall -- Wagner And Beyond / John Deathridge -- Puccini And The Dissolution Of The Italian Tradition / Virgilio Bernardoni -- Words And Actions / Caroline Harvey -- Symbolist Opera : Trials, Triumphs, Tributaries / Philip Weller -- Expression And Construction : The Stage Works Of Schoenberg And Berg / Alan Street -- Neo-classical Opera / Chris Walton -- France And The Mediterranean / Nigel Simeone -- Austria And Germany, 1918-1960 / Guido Heldt -- Eastern Europe / Rachel Beckles Willson -- Russian Opera : Between Modernism And Romanticism / Marina Frolova-walker -- American Opera : Innovation And Tradition / Elise K. Kirk -- Opera In England : Taking The Plunge / Christopher Mark -- Music Theatre Since The 1960s / Robert Adlington -- Minimalist Opera / Arved Ashby -- Opera And Film / Mervyn Cooke -- Popular Musical Theatre (and Film) / Stephen Banfield -- Opera In The Marketplace / Nicholas Payne -- Technology And Interpretation : Aspects Of 'modernism' / Tom Sutcliffe. Edited By Mervyn Cooke. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 341-357) And Indexes. Frontmatter 2 Part One: Legacies 51 1 Opera in transition 53 2 Wagner and beyond 64 3 Puccini and the dissolution of the Italian tradition 76 Part Two: Trends 95 4 Words and actions 97 5 Symbolist opera: trials, triumphs, tributaries 110 6 Expression and construction: the stage works of Schoenberg and Berg 135 7 Neo-classical opera 155 Part Three: Topographies 173 8 France and the Mediterranean 175 9 Austria and Germany, 1918-1960 196 10 Eastern Europe 215 11 Russian opera: between modernism and romanticism 231 12 American opera innovation and tradition 247 13 Opera in England: taking the plunge 259 Part Four: Directions 273 14 Music theatre since the 1960s 275 15 Minimalist opera 294 16 Opera and film 317 17 Popular musical theatre (and film) 341 18 Opera in the marketplace 356 19 Technology and interpretation: aspects of 'modernism' 371 Works cited 391 General index 408 Index of operas 418 Celebrating The Extraordinary Diversity Of Operatic Achievements In The Twentieth Century, This Companion Brings Together The Work Of Scholars From Both Sides Of The Atlantic. Beginning With A Survey Of Operatic Legacies, The Volume Analyzes Regional Styles And Aesthetic Trends, And Features Essays On Opera And Film, Popular Operetta And The Musical, Avant-garde Music Theatre And Minimalism, Market Forces, Changing Styles And Production Trends. 'More books on Wagner! Yes, the cry is still they come.'