This study examines the role of symbolism in the history of opera, with its attendant use of mythology, allegory, metaphor and imagery. From the very first, Orpheus emerges as the patron and guiding light of the genre, with its roots deeply embedded in the Classical heritage. The underpinning of action and meaning in the ancient stories provides a symbolic resonance that imparts so much of the enduring mystic and meaning of this rich genre. The various types and layers of figurative concepts and language are examined throughout the history of opera, from its inception in 1597 to recent contemporary works. The effects of historical-philosophical changes through the centuries and the implications of these on theme and production is closely analyzed. The movement away from tonality and the rise of discordant stage presentation since the advent of the Brechtian Verfremdungstechnik is examined, with reflection on the current meaning, interpretation, and future sustainability of opera.
Michael Trimble is Emeritus Professor of Behavioural Neurology at University College London (UCL), UK. He has edited many books which deal with the interface between the brain, neurology and psychiatry, and has a special interest in the neuroscience of the emotions, and the limbic and autonomic nervous system. His more recent books include: The Soul in the Brain - the Cerebral Basis of Language, Art and Belief (2007); Why Humans Like to Cry - Tragedy Evolution and the Brain (2012); The Intentional Brain - Motion, Emotion and the development of Modern Neuropsychiatry (2016). He has a special interest in the evolutionary and emotional effects of music.
Robert Ignatius Letellier was educated in Grahamstown (South Africa), Cambridge (UK), Salzburg (Austria), Rome (Italy) and Jerusalem (Israel). He is a member of Trinity College Cambridge, the Maryvale Higher Institute of Religious Studies in Birmingham, and the Institute of Professional and Continuing Education at Madingley Hall, Cambridge, all UK. His publications number over 100 items, including books and articles on the early and Romantic novel (particularly the Gothic Novel and Sir Walter Scott), the Bible, history, and European culture. He has specialized in the Romantic opera, especially the work of Giacomo Meyerbeer, Fromental Halévy, Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, Adolphe Adam, Adrien Boieldieu, Ferdinand Hérold, the opéra comique, the operetta, Ludwig Minkus and nineteenth century ballet.
Together the authors have published their comprehensive study of Sudden Death in Opera (CSP 2021).
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