The Operatic State: Cultural Policy and the Opera House (Routledge Harwood Studies in Cultural Policy)

The Operatic State examines the cultural, financial, and political investments that have gone into the maintenance of opera and opera houses in Europe, the USA and Australia. It analyses opera's nearly immutable form throughout wars, revolutions, and vast social changes throughout the world. Bereson argues that by legitimising the power of the state through universally recognised ceremonial ritual, opera enjoys a privileged status across three continents, often to the detriment of popular and indigenous art forms. In The Operatic State Ruth Bereson Examines The Cultural, Financial And Political Investments That Have Gone Into The Maintenance Of Opera And Opera Houses Across Italy, France, Russia, The United States, Australia And The Uk. 1. Introducing The Power Brokers -- 2. Princely Pleasures: Princes And Power -- The Birthplace Of European Opera -- 3. Of Kings And Barricades: From The Heart Of Versailles To The Place De La Bastille -- 4. The Disunited Kingdom: London's Operatic Battles -- 5. Along The Danube And The Rhine: Playthings Of The Austro-hungarian And Prussian Empires -- 6. The Jewel In The Crown -- Stronger And More Permanent Than Ideologies: Why Opera Was Retained By The Bolsheviks -- 7. Magnificence Of The Met -- The Commercial Fable: High Society, Corporations And State -- 8. The Chip In The Harbour -- 9. Other Operas -- Other Worlds -- 10. Back To The Future? Ruth Bereson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introducing the Power Brokers......Page 12 Princely Pleasures: Princes and Power The Birthplace of European Opera......Page 27 Of Kings and Barricades: From the Heart of Versailles to the Place de la Bastille......Page 45 The Disunited Kingdom: London's Operatic Battles......Page 74 Along the Danube and the Rhine: Playthings of the Austro-Hungarian and Prussian Empires......Page 109 The Jewel in the Crown Stronger and More Permanent than Ideologies: Why Opera was Retained by the Bolsheviks......Page 130 Magnificence of the Met The Commercial Fable: High Society, Corporations and State......Page 142 The Chip in the Harbour......Page 159 Other Operas Other Worlds......Page 181 Back to the Future?......Page 189 Notes......Page 197 Bibliography......Page 213 Index......Page 226 Annotation "The Operatic State" examines the cultural, financial, and political investments that have gone into the maintenance of opera and opera houses across Italy, France, Russia, the United States, Australia and the UK, and which have led to opera's nearly immutable form throughout wars, revolutions, and vast social changes. Bereson argues that by legitimizing the power of the state through universally recognized ceremonial ritual, opera enjoys a privileged status across three continents, often to the detriment of popular and indigenous art forms This book examines the cultural, financial, and political investments that have gone into the maintenance of opera and opera houses in Europe, the USA and Australia. It analyses opera's nearly immutable form throughout wars, revolutions, and vast social changes throughout the world. The author argues that by legitimising the power of the state through universally recognised ceremonial ritual, opera enjoys a privileged status across three continents, often to the detriment of popular and indigenous art forms If financial support by the state is the prime yardstick of" importance, then opera must certainly be the most important of the arts.