Queer Opera
Will be published approx. on 7. January 2027
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-6669-0609-7 (ISBN)
Description
Operas often reflect characteristics of the society and epistime in which they are written, but they also do much more than that: operas have agency.
LGBTQ+ social, cultural, and political issues have become an increasingly defining feature of twenty-first century life, and as agency for change, composers have turned to opera to underscore the lived queer experience. Andrew Sutherland posits that operas written before the sexual revolution of the mid-twentieth century utilized a codified language both in the libretto and score, communicating with those observers open to a queer reading. He explores the growing trend of local, small-scale, independent opera companies seen around the world towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century and argues that this has emboldened queer artists to reclaim opera as a queer space. He further argues that for several centuries, opera houses have been safe havens for queer composers, librettists, performers, and designers, and yet it is only relatively recently that any serious attempt at queer representation in operatic works has begun to be realized. In this book, he examines narratives and music of selected operas to walk through queer history in Western societies and shines a light on how many of opera's well-known characters, based on historical figures who represent pivotal moments in the queer story, are responsible in a variety of ways for the continued struggle for queer acceptance.
LGBTQ+ social, cultural, and political issues have become an increasingly defining feature of twenty-first century life, and as agency for change, composers have turned to opera to underscore the lived queer experience. Andrew Sutherland posits that operas written before the sexual revolution of the mid-twentieth century utilized a codified language both in the libretto and score, communicating with those observers open to a queer reading. He explores the growing trend of local, small-scale, independent opera companies seen around the world towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century and argues that this has emboldened queer artists to reclaim opera as a queer space. He further argues that for several centuries, opera houses have been safe havens for queer composers, librettists, performers, and designers, and yet it is only relatively recently that any serious attempt at queer representation in operatic works has begun to be realized. In this book, he examines narratives and music of selected operas to walk through queer history in Western societies and shines a light on how many of opera's well-known characters, based on historical figures who represent pivotal moments in the queer story, are responsible in a variety of ways for the continued struggle for queer acceptance.
Reviews / Votes
In Queer Opera, Sutherland discusses a wide variety of niche operas that otherwise might be lost to obscurity. Sutherland's enthusiasm for the work of smaller opera houses that are more willing to platform queer stories is also commendable ... Sutherland provides a fine contribution to the growing con-versation on the topic within musicological literature. * Notes: Journal of the Music Library Association * Queer Opera makes an important contribution to the evolving understanding of what opera can be for audiences today. It tackles complex issues of identity, behaviour, intention, and interpretation in operas both historic and contemporary. Acknowledging the complex relationship of opera and queerness throughout history, the book examines a wide range of works through a queer lens, and in doing so, offers up fresh insights into opera more generally. -- Cat Hope * Monash University * Queer Opera is a meaningful and necessary text, providing perspectives worthy of consideration by all who love opera and wish to see it thrive. * Classical Singer Magazine * Sutherland, [can] be commended on many fronts. He has certainly done his homework. He considers over fifty operas from the Baroque to the present day. He does not set his sights on just the big names but includes several operas by contemporary composers whose names are hardly household words. He is scrupulous about including lesbian composers and gives commendable attention to operas with lesbian, bisexual, and trans characters. Along the way, he peppers his discussions with fascinating tidbits of information. This is hardly the first book to examine queer opera. A check of my local university library under the subject heading "Homosexuality in opera" produced 153 hits-books, dissertations, articles. Still, Sutherland's study may be one of the first to embrace a wider, "queer" compass. * The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
8 bw illus; 22 textboxes
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-6669-0609-7 (9781666906097)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Andrew Sutherland is director of music at Methodist Ladies' College and adjunct lecturer at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, USA.
Content
Introduction
1. Antiquity
2. Passing and Coding
3. The Closet
4. Hegemony
5. Assimilation
6. Killing Queers
7. Homoerotic Awakening
Conclusion
References
About the Author
1. Antiquity
2. Passing and Coding
3. The Closet
4. Hegemony
5. Assimilation
6. Killing Queers
7. Homoerotic Awakening
Conclusion
References
About the Author