Music Theoretical Dimensions of 18th Century Opera

Opera’s complex and intricate structure confronts theorists and performers alike with daunting challenges. Though the expert combination of text, context, dramatic and musical elements is what this fascinating genre is all about, it also raises some questions regarding the creation, the performance and the interpretation of such works.

The rich 18th-century opera tradition will provide the starting point for this Academy. In keeping with our desire to cover a clearly defined and thematically focused subject, this Academy edition will centre on Mozart’s Don Giovanni. From a broader music-theoretical perspective, most subjects covered will be closely linked to performance practice. The Academy 2008 edition will concentrate on literary and historic, biographical, music-analytical, compositional and performance-oriented aspects.

Following specialists will consider the theme:

• Cliff Eisen, professor of Music History, King´s College London, UK
• Kenneth Montgomery, conductor, Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, the Netherlands
• Javier López Piñón, stage director, New Opera Academy, Amsterdam/The Hague, the Netherlands
• Stefan Rohringer, professor of Music Theory, Hochschule für Musik und Theater, München, Germany
• James Webster, Goldwin Smith Professor of Music, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
• Sergio Durante, director of the department of Art and Music History, University Padua, Italy