Description
The Rival Sirens examines the vital and intertwined roles of singers, audiences and local cultural context in creating eighteenth-century opera.
About the Author
Suzanne Aspden is a lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Oxford. As a leading Handel scholar, she has made numerous appearances on BBC Radio and Television and has been the co-editor of the Cambridge Opera Journal since 2009. Her research interests include opera and identity politics in music, and she has been awarded a number of fellowships in the US, UK and India. She has published articles in the Journal of the American Musicological Society, Musical Quarterly, the Journal of the Royal Music Association and the Cambridge Opera Journal and is co-editor, with Michael Burden, of a forthcoming book on Cavalli's Erismena.
Reviews
'... uses the largely fictitious rivalry between opera divas Francesca Cuzzoni (1696-1778) and Faustina Bordoni (1697-1781) as the departure point for investigating identity and concepts of self in 18th century theatre and opera seria ... Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty.' S. C. Champagne, Choice
'Aspden brings new insights to the Cuzzoni/Bordoni operas and to opera seria of the early eighteenth century through her study of sources relating to spoken drama and acting.' Angela Escott, Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Theatre Research
'This account should appeal to those with an interest in the role of women in the operatic world of the 1720s. The author draws together threads from an impressive range of sources ... this is a good read for the sophisticated Handel opera enthusiast.' Ursula Brett, The Consort
Book Information
ISBN 9781108829243
Author Suzanne Aspden
Format Paperback
Page Count 307
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 760g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 140mm * 20mm