Abstract
Abstract A review of Jelena Novak’s work is an excellent sphere within which to grapple with the term “postopera”, which was introduced into operatic theory by way of analogy with Hans-Thies Lehmann’s term “postdramatic theatre”. In addition to defining the characteristics of postopera, the work (and this review) offers a window into the history of opera and the development of the genre. Options for the interpretation of operatic works are presented mostly through the body-voice gap, that is, the difference between the visual and audible elements of operatic art; this relationship is redefined or, rather, foregrounded by postopera. The review highlights the author’s primary focus on six examples of postopera, for the most part postmodern and minimalist; discloses the broad theoretical and historical foundations, as well as methodologies, on which the author bases her discourse; and locates the book contextually in the wider theory of musical-theatre praxes. Additionally, it presents the meaning that Novak’s book could have in the Slovenian operatic space, identifies certain limitations of the work, and at the same time offers options for the broadening of the author’s questions and further research.
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