PHIL 21102/31102 Opera as Idea and As Performance
Is opera an archaic and exotic pageant for wealthy elites, or a relevant art form of great subtlety and complexity that has the power to be revelatory? In this course of eight sessions, jointly taught by Professor Martha Nussbaum and Anthony Freud, Former General Director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, we explore the multi-disciplinary nature of this elusive and much-maligned art form, with its four hundred-year-old European roots, discussing both historic and philosophical contexts and the practicalities of interpretation and production in a very un-European, twenty-first century city.
Anchoring each session around a different opera, we will be joined by a variety of guest experts, one each week, including a director, a conductor, a designer and two singers, to enable us to explore different perspectives.
The list of operas to be discussed include Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppaea, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Verdi's Don Carlos, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Wagner's Die Meistersinger, Britten's Billy Budd, and Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. (A) (I)
Remark: Students do not need to be able to read music, but some antecedent familiarity with opera in performance or through recordings would be extremely helpful. But enthusiasm is the main thing!
Assignments: In general, for each week we will require you to listen carefully to the opera of that week. Multiple copies of the recommended recordings will be available in the library. But you should feel free to use your own recordings, or to buy them, or stream them, if you prefer. The university gives you access to the Metropolitan Opera HD on demand series. There will also be brief written materials assigned, and posted on the course canvas site. No books are required for purchase. Because listening is the main thing, we will try to keep readings brief and to make recommendations for further reading should you want to do more.
Class Structure: In general we will each make remarks for about twenty minutes each, then interview the guest of the week, with ample room for discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: PhD students and law students will write one long paper at the end (20-25 pages), based on a prospectus submitted earlier. Other students will write one shorter paper (5-7 pages) and one longer paper (12-15 pages), the former due in week 4 and the latter during reading period.
STUDENTS: PhD students in the Philosophy Department and the Music Department and all law students (both J. D. and LL.M.) may enroll without permission. All other students will be admitted up to the number feasible given TA arrangements.