Musical theatre of the west in the post-opera era
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to present the exploration of new theatrical and scenic forms in the second half of the 20th century created by Western composers. The article draws upon and synthesizes the experiences from musicological and theatrical publications by Russian authors to depict the changes in the nature of scenic synthesis and the transformations in the «post-opera theatre’s» engagement with the audience. It discusses the main trends in the «neo-opera» interaction of «word-action-music», considering the influences of media technologies on contemporary theatre. Particularly, it is focused on anti-opera (D. Cage, M. Kagel, D. Ligeti), the mystery theatre in the works of K. Stockhausen and American composers (F. Glass, S. Reich, Tan Dun), and performative musical theatre (G. Aperghis, Schnabel, H. Goebbels, M. Monk). The article provides common characteristics of new theatrical models are examined, and examples of their scenic realization. It suggests references to specialized publications on the issues of new musical-scenic forms aimed at creating a contextual approach.
About the Author
G. A. Eremenko
M. I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatoire
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Galina A. Eremenko, Cand. Sc. (Art Criticism), Professor at the Department of History of Music
630099 Novosibirsk
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Review
For citations:
Eremenko G.A. Musical theatre of the west in the post-opera era. ARTE. 2024;(1):14-23. (In Russ.)
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