Category Archives: opera

(3) // Raising the Bar: Agonist Opera, Ensemble Opera, Auteur Opera //

Posted on 23*05*13 by

In the previous two posts, I outline my thoughts concerning a recent conference for new opera creators, hosted by Sound and Music with the Royal Opera House. It focused on what I’ve termed ‘the ideology of opera creation’ - a set of … Continue reading →

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(2) // opera vs the commodity form //

Posted on 22*05*13 by

In my previous post, I discussed a recent conference for new opera creators, hosted by Sound and Music with the Royal Opera House. I attempted to outline what I perceived as a particular set of assumptions about how new opera … Continue reading →

Posted in opera, theory | 1 Comment

(1) // The Ideology of Opera Creation //

Posted on 30*04*13 by

The Royal Opera House recently hosted two events addressing the present state and future of opera (you can read my post on the first of these – the opera vs elitism debate - HERE). The second event was a half-day conference … Continue reading →

Posted in collaboration, community, opera, theory | 2 Comments

Opera, ‘Elitism’ and Trickle-Down Culture

Posted on 06*04*13 by

The Royal Opera House recently hosted two interesting events addressing the present state and future of opera. The first was a debate called ‘Are Opera and Ballet Elitist?’, held on 11th March and featuring a panel including Mark-Anthony Turnage and … Continue reading →

Posted in opera, theory | 1 Comment

Feminist Music at the Southbank: III. On Semi-Stagings (or, How To Silence A Political Piece)

Posted on 17*03*13 by

A visit to the Southbank Centre the other week has compelled me to think a few little thoughts about ‘feminist classical music’. Here is the third-and-final,  following on directly from my discussion of Kurt Weill’s/Bertolt Brecht’s The Seven Deadly Sins, in which I try and figure … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, live review, opera, theory | 1 Comment

Feminist Music at the Southbank: II. Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins & Intersectionality

Posted on 17*03*13 by

A visit to the Southbank Centre the other week has compelled me to think a few little thoughts about ‘feminist classical music’. Here is the second, in praise of Kurt Weill’s/Bertolt Brecht’s The Seven Deadly Sins, a rare example (I will argue) of an explicitly … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, live review, opera | 1 Comment

Feminist Music at the Southbank: I. WOWhat?!

Posted on 07*03*13 by

A visit to the Southbank Centre last week has compelled me to think a few little thoughts about ‘feminist classical music’. Here is the first and it is not a cheerful one::: This weekend, the Southbank Centre is hosting an … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, festival, opera, orchestral, theory | 1 Comment

the biting point in 2013: UPCOMING EVENTS

Posted on 14*02*13 by

I ruminated at length in the last post about the Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise season, and just last night the season’s tie-in BBC4 documentary The Sound and the Fury aired its first episode (I haven’t seen it yet, but the always-reliable … Continue reading →

Posted in electronic, festival, listings, news, opera | 2 Comments

Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 Oct 2012)

Posted on 27*10*12 by

The Marxist composer Hans Werner Henze died today. In many of his mid-period works, he managed to bring a deep political commitment to traditional, large-scale classical structures and a style which, while colourful and multifaceted, never drifted too far from … Continue reading →

Posted in obituary, opera | Leave a comment

three press posts: Cosmetic Fallacy

Posted on 09*10*12 by

This is the second post in a series of three, discussing recent classical music articles in the national press, the ideology that they conceal and the assumptions on which they’re built. This one is probably the most hilarious. On Thursday, … Continue reading →

Posted in opera, theory | 2 Comments