Said on Opera - by Edward Said

About the Book

This book presents Edward W. Said's insightful and elegant analyses of four major operas--originally delivered as the Empson Lectures at Cambridge University in 1997--showcasing the power of his critical acumen to unsettle canonical interpretations.

Book Synopsis

One of the late twentieth century's most celebrated and influential public intellectuals, Edward W. Said was also a critic of astonishing range. This book presents his insightful and elegant analyses of four major operas--originally delivered as the Empson Lectures at Cambridge University in 1997--showcasing the power of Said's critical acumen to unsettle canonical interpretations.

In close readings of Mozart's Così fan tutte, Beethoven's Fidelio, Berlioz's Les Troyens, and Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Said explores how each opera engages with the social and political questions of their own eras--and how they might speak to the present. He pays careful attention to the works' historical context as well as the possibilities they open for contemporary reinterpretations, examining the tension between opera's cultural prestige and its potential for subversion. Said considers the representation of national identity, class, and exoticism, and he shows how cultural and literary studies can enrich understandings of operatic texts and performance. Lucid and gracefully written, Said on Opera enlivens well-known works with fresh insights and demonstrates the breadth of Said's contributions to cultural criticism.

This book features an introduction by the editor, Wouter Capitain, who situates these essays in the context of Said's career, and a foreword by the acclaimed opera director Peter Sellars, who offers a masterful appreciation of Said's achievements.

Review Quotes

Compact in its length, this book is extremely accessible to a wide variety of readers, opera goers, and fans of Edward Said's books on cultural criticism.-- "Music Reference Services Quarterly"

I recommend the book heartily and trust that it will stimulate renewed interest in Said's writings and fresh debate about the perpetual questions of what opera was, is, and can be.-- "The Arts Fuse"

Reading the excellent Said on Opera is almost as engrossing as listening to the works.-- "There Stands the Glass"

Through Said's interpretive lens, the book not only enriches our understanding of the operas discussed but also invites readers to consider the broader societal, political, and cultural implications of the art form, thus reaffirming the enduring power and relevance of opera in contemporary discourse.-- "Marginal Space"

Indispensable for serious lovers of opera. The essays are complete and fresh and as meaningful today as a quarter century ago.-- "Library Journal (starred review)"

The opposition between historical authority and its transgression was central to Edward Said's thinking in later life. But his exploration of it in these four operas offers a strikingly new perspective on how contemporary audiences--and stagings--can interrogate the operatic works' historical power structures in deeply resonant, present-day terms.--Linda Hutcheon, coauthor of Opera: The Art of Dying

These essays on major works in the opera repertoire are provocative and penetrating. They are eloquent testimony to Edward W. Said's understanding of how music, both written and performed, intersects with politics, history, and literature. Said's interpretive imagination and his conviction that music is a vital dimension of history and culture will captivate musicians, scholars, students, and all operagoers.--Leon Botstein, conductor, editor of the Musical Quarterly, and president of Bard College

The trenchant literary and cultural critic Edward W. Said was also deeply devoted to the masterpieces of Western classical music. Said on Opera offers his thoughts on four major operas: by Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, and Wagner. These rich, challenging chapters will be debated for years to come.--Ralph P. Locke, author of Music and the Exotic from the Renaissance to Mozart

About the Author

Edward W. Said (1935-2003) was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He was the music critic for the Nation and the author of numerous influential books, including Culture and Imperialism and Orientalism. Said's Columbia University Press books include Humanism and Democratic Criticism, Musical Elaborations, and Music at the Limits.

Wouter Capitain is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Göttingen. His doctoral dissertation at the University of Amsterdam examined Edward Said's music-related work.

Peter Sellars is a leading opera director, MacArthur fellow, and distinguished professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at the University of California, Los Angeles.