Abstract
In this book, Anthony Arblaster sets out to uncover the political dimension of a vast range of operatic works, from Marriage of Figaro to Nixon in China, including many of the most popular in the repertory, revealing the ideals of freedom and justice so often present, but invariably ignored or suppressed by critics. Beginning with an investigation of opera in revolutionary France, Arblaster goes on to analyze Mozart's enigmatic politics, and to explore the work of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and above all, Verdi, in the context of the Risorgimento. Further chapters examine Wagner's early radicalism and notorious anti-semitism, nationalism in Russian. Czech and English opera, and the weaknesses of Puccini and Strauss. Arblaster discusses women in opera, taking issue with Catherine Clement's influential Opera, or the Undoing of Women, and concludes with a survey of the treatment of everyday life in opera and musicals from Dallapiccola to Sondheim. The book is aimed at general readers interested in opera and music and should also be a useful text for students of music and cultural studies.
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