Lecture Recital: Annotated Bibliography SEA14014638

Cooper, M. (2016), Remember When Figaro Was Set in Trump Tower? New York Times 25
November 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/arts/music/remember-when-figaro-
was-set-in-trump-tower.html

An interview with Sellars discusses more of his reasoning behind the Trump Tower
production of Figaro about Mozart’s dedication to human equality – ‘Their humanity is
equally honoured and represented — including people of all social classes making huge
mistakes in judging each other.’ Cooper and Sellars bring to light that income inequality (and
the underpayment of women) is a main theme of the Trump Tower Figaro, adding an
interesting dimension to our perception of the plot.

Donington,  R. (1990).  Opera and Its Symbols: The Unity of Words, Music, and Staging. United
Kingdom: Yale University Press.
Robert Doningtons book contains a clear annotated bibliography which points to extensive
literature on Opera. The book is the last of his work, as he did not live to see it published, but was
meant as the culmination on his extensive work on Wagner and other opera. Opera and its
Symbols is in essence a commentary focusing on the importance of total harmony,
Gesamtkunstwerk, a Wagnerian principle which necessitates the working together of all three
concepts held within a opera score – the Words, Music and the Staging. Donington writes fairly
conservatively in my opinion, and is not in favour of the updating of staging at all – one review of
the book (Mary Woodside) describes the ‘director that insists on modernising the production’ as
his enemy, “on the misguided assumption that he can give a new freshness to the old
conventions”(Donington, 1990.). He describes in detail some productions which he objected
heavily to, and comes across as though he will not allow changes that have any effect on the plot
of characters. I reference this Book, in particular Part 1, in order to discuss the often supremacist
rhetoric directors often face when trying to take a story and reach a new, or different audience with
it, or even tell a slightly different one they deem to be valuable to our time.

The Getty Villa, Malibu, California (30 April 2017) Getty Museum: The Villa Council Presents:
Peter Sellars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5OdNMYX4L4&ab_channel=GettyMuseum

This is a talk by acclaimed director Peter Sellars regarding his work on Clemenza di Tito. His Tito
is reimagined during the War on Terror. Sellars makes several interesting points as to why he has
chosen to do this, discussing Mozart’s attempts at political subversion, his interests in Freemasonry
and revolution, and the fact that Tito was written for the inauguration, but was decidedly anti-
royal. This adds to my discussion about plot subversion, as Sellars explains his choice to cut an
essential recit which tells us the Emperor was not killed, and have the Emperor spend the entirety
of Act 2 on his deathbed in ICU, where he makes his decision to absolve Sesto as he draws his
final breath. This talk helped to explain the artistic thought behind the production and highlights its
purpose as commentary on our social and political situation.

Levin, D. J. (2008). Unsettling Opera: Staging Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, and Zemlinsky. University
of Chicago Press
This book is full of detailed critiques and readings of productions which update Mozart, Verdi and
Wagner Opera. Levin’s work is incredibly well thought out and detailed in its’ approach, and the
discussions. Chapter 1 outlines the ‘project of reimagining opera, undertaken by a number of opera
houses since 1976’. Levin discusses in particular two works of interest, Peter Sellars’ production
of Figaro, set in Trump towers and makes a useful comparison between the two productions of
Entführung aus dem Serail by Hans Neuenfels at Stuttgart, and the Bavarian State Opera
production by August Everding. I reference both of these discussions, but this work also lead me
to more of Sellars work to discuss, in particular his Cosi fan Tutte set in a New York Diner, Don
Giovanni set in East Harlem , and a provocative La Clemenza di Tito set during the war on terror.
An extensive number of references and detailed bibliography suggest this work is well researched
and a useful source to discuss the topic.

Liu, S. (2007) Adaptation as Appropriation: Staging Western Drama in the First Western
Style Theatres in Japan and China. Theatre Journal, Volume 59, Number 3, October 2007,
pp. 411-429, Published by Johns Hopkins University Press

Siyuan Liu is a University of Pittsburgh PHD graduate, who writes here about the
appropriation of Western Dramas in Japan and China. This writing discusses productions of
Othello, and La Tosca (derived from the original 1887 play), which are heavily edited to fit
into the Kabuki, Shinpa and Wenmingxi styles. The adaptations of the plays are drastically
different, notably the fact that the shinpa and wenmingxi versions focused around a romantic
couple, where the original was a ‘star vehicle’ for Sarah Bernhardt. The piece also discusses
the reception of the versions – most interestingly the poor reception of a production of La
Tosca, (which was heavily centred around heroism amongst tyranny, and anti-
establishmentarianism) to a Japanese audience not dissatisfied with their military, and a
successful hearing by the Chinese anti-Qing community in Tokyo later on. I reference this
work in order to discuss the impact of politics on the reception of art, and vice versa, and to
further demonstrate its necessity.

Rosand, E., (2013). Readying Cavalli’s Operas for the Stage: Manuscript, Edition,
Production, Ashgate Publishing

Contains useful insights on the issues of performing Cavalli’s work, including an interesting
chapter about the sets requested in the score, (with an example detailing the exact painting
work commissioned of a painter to create sets in 1651), in particular the eleven required to
produce Giasone. Also contains analyses of staging conventions in 1600s venice.

Trousdell, R. (1991). Peter Sellars Rehearses "Figaro". TDR vol. 35, no. 1, 1991, pp. 66–89.

This article discusses the rehearsal of Sellars production of Figaro in 1991. Trousdell compiles a
number of critics reviews of the work, discusses Sellars life, directing process and the response of
critics to his art. Later he breaks down the rehearsal process, and the impact of the staging on the
characters, the plot and the music. The documentation of Sellars artistic process is also very
interesting. Trousdell concludes that Sellars is not creating ‘modern updates of classical works’ but
in fact ‘complex adaptations of the originals in contemporary terms.’ I felt this work helps to
explain how Sellars’ work brings us into the drama, rather than leaving us feeling as if we are
viewers of an historical event.
Wilson, A. (2013). Golden-Age Thinking: Updated Stagings of "Gianni Schicchi" and the Popular
Historical Imagination. Cambridge Opera Journal Vol 25, No.2 July 2013 (pp. 185-201).
Cambridge University Press.
This Journal entry is written by Alexandra Wilson, a professor of musicology and Cultural History
whose research is focused on Italian Operatic Culture. Notable also for her work ‘The Puccini
Problem’. This article discusses in detail the phenomenon of productions of Gianni Schicchi being
set in the ‘50s or ‘70s. I refer to this article when discussing the issues that updating a staging can
cause and the considerations one must make. Wilson makes an excellent point in mentioning that
this trend may be due to the fact that the “dayglo-yellow fitted kitchen in Carsen’s Falstaff’, or the
blowsy floral wallpaper” in Jones’s production reminds us of British carry on films , which fit the
comedic style of Falstaff and Schicchi perfectly, which instil in the audience a sense of
‘’familiarity’, an important factor in creating humour and accessibility’.

Scores

Cavalli, P. F., Faustini, G., Brown, J. W. (2007). La Calisto. United States: A-R Editions.

This edition of La Calisto contains a wealth of information in its preface detailing the issues
to be considered when staging the work, such as the Giove-in-Diana issue, the often omitted
rather unacceptable scenes (namely the rape of Linfea by one of the young Satyrs) and what
one might consider when harmonising the piece and choosing instrumentation.

Leppard, R., Cavalli, P. F., Marz, K. R., Faustini, G. (1975). La Calisto: Opera in Two Acts

with a Prologue. Germany: Faber Music.

Torrente, A., Badolato, N., Cavalli, P. F., Faustini, G., (2012) La Calisto. Kassel, Bärenreiter

Urtext

Anne-Sammons, L., Cavalli, P. F., Faustini, G., (2019) La Calisto. Arrangement.

Recordings

Mozart - Cosi Fan Tutte, Directed by Peter Sellars, Wiener Symphoniker. Decca Music
Group Ltd, 2005 (DVD)

Mozart - Don Giovanni, Directed by Peter Sellars, Wiener Symphoniker. Decca Music Group
Ltd, 2005 (DVD)

Mozart - Le Nozze Di Figaro, Peter Sellars, Wiener Symphoniker. Decca Music Group Ltd.,
2005 (DVD)

Cavalli - La Calisto , Glyndebourne Festival Opera, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Raymond

Leppard. UMG (On behalf of Decca Music Group Ltd.) 1971

Cavalli - La Calisto – Longborough 2019, Sitzprobe, (Personal use).