Extended characters : opera’s fascination with reconfiguring the character-performer relationship in the twenty-first century
(2024)
- Author
- Eva Van Daele
- Promoter
- Francis Maes (UGent) and Christel Stalpaert (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
- Abstract
- One of the foundational conventions of the operatic genre – that a character is represented by a single performer – is occasionally broken in operas composed today. To understand this trend, this study maps different manifestations of the trend, exploring whether these strategies of multiplicity that renegotiate the character-performer relationship have historical precedents and identifying the musical and conceptual implications of these interventions. Challenging the convention of the one-to-one, character-performer relationship is significant as it was considered so crucial at the genre’s emergence. After some flirtations with strategies of multiplicity before 1900, the twentieth century saw a rise in both the prevalence and development of new strategies to reconfigure the character-performer relationship in newly composed operas as well as stagings of repertory operas. These interventions range from employing multiple voices simultaneously to represent a single character, to rotating the roles among the performers, to adding a dancer, actor, or video recording to the live, onstage singer. Each of these techniques extend character representation beyond a single body and voice. Yet, despite the striking heterogeneity of the musical implications, motivations, and effects, certain principles can be detected in the implementation of these strategies. The heterogeneity indicates the possibilities of the genre to foster and support a wide range of character-performer relationships and their corresponding visions of subjectivity. Moreover, contextualizing this trend within the long history of the genre demonstrates that recent examples of these strategies of multiplicity – like those listed above – are, in fact, a continuation of older trends rather than anomalies. This study proves that the strategies visible in new operas are not foreign to the genre. They capitalize on a multiplicity of representational means that has always been inherent to operatic character in its combination of vocal and orchestral music, words, embodiment, and visuals. While these strategies are not unique for the genre, it should not be a surprise that they flourish there. By turning to operatic practice today and combining music analysis with performance analysis, this study examines three recent opera compositions and their first productions: Wim Henderickx’s The Convert (2022), Ben Frost’s The Murder of Halit Yozgat – An Opera Under Quarantine (2020), and Chaya Czernowin’s Heart Chamber (2019). The case studies respectively emphasize the character-performer relationship’s mutability, its capability for engaging critical reflection, and its potential for sketching the internal drama within a character. The analyses uncover the musical and dramaturgical ideas that underlie these works and reveal how they challenge our understanding of character, role, performer, and the character-performer relationship. These operas exemplify that despite the frequent use of these strategies on the operatic stage today – both newly composed operas and new interpretations of older operas – composers and directors continue to uncover a variety of exciting ways to reconfigure the character-performer relationship.
- Een van de fundamentele conventies van het operagenre – dat een personage gerepresenteerd wordt door een enkele performer – wordt vandaag occasioneel doorbroken in nieuw gecomponeerde opera’s. Om dit fenomeen te begrijpen brengt deze studie de verscheidene verschijningsvormen ervan in kaart. Ze exploreert de historische precedenten van deze strategieën van multipliciteit die de personage-performerrelatie vernieuwen en identificeert hun muzikale en conceptuele implicaties. Het uitdagen van de een-op-eenrelatie tussen personage en performer is van belang aangezien deze conventie als cruciaal werd beschouwd bij het ontstaan van het genre. Hoewel enkele strategieën van multipliciteit al vóór 1900 hun opwachting maken, experimenteren artiesten pas in de twintigste eeuw uitvoerig met nieuwe strategieën die de personage-performerrelatie heruitvinden. Dit gebeurt zowel in nieuw gecomponeerde opera’s als in ensceneringen van bestaande repertoirewerken. Deze interventies variëren van het gebruiken van diverse simultane stemmen om een personage te representeren tot het roteren van de rollen tussen de uitvoerders en het toevoegen van een danser, acteur of video-opname aan de live zanger op scène. In elk van deze strategieën reikt de representatie van het personage verder dan het individuele lichaam en de individuele stem van één uitvoerder. Ondanks de opmerkelijke heterogeniteit van de muzikale implicaties, motivaties en effecten van de strategieën kunnen toch enkele principes gedetecteerd worden in hun toepassing. De heterogeniteit wijst daarnaast op de mogelijkheden van het genre om een breed scala van personage-performerrelaties en overeenkomstige visies op subjectiviteit te bevorderen en te ondersteunen. Bovendien toont het contextualiseren van dit fenomeen binnen de lange geschiedenis van het genre dat de recente voorbeelden in feite een voortzetting zijn van oudere tendensen, eerder dan een anomalie. Deze studie bewijst dat de strategieën in nieuwe opera’s niet vreemd zijn aan het genre. Ze spelen in op de multipliciteit van representatiemiddelen die altijd al inherent was aan het operapersonage met zijn combinatie van vocale en instrumentale muziek, woorden, belichaming en visuele middelen. Hoewel deze strategieën niet uniek zijn voor het genre, is het niet verrassend dat ze juist in opera gedijen. Door naar de operapraktijk van vandaag te kijken en muziekanalyse met performanceanalyse te combineren, verkent deze studie enkele recente operacomposities en hun eerste producties: Wim Henderickx’ The Convert (2022), Ben Frosts The Murder of Halit Yozgat – An Opera Under Quarantine (2020) en Chaya Czernowins Heart Chamber (2019). Elk van deze casestudies benadrukt een andere eigenschap van het heruitvinden van de personage-performerrelatie: haar potentiële veranderlijkheid, haar vermogen om kritische reflectie op te wekken en haar geschiktheid voor het schetsen van het innerlijke drama in een personage. De analyses ontrafelen de muzikale en dramaturgische ideeën die aan deze werken ten grondslag liggen en onthullen hoe ze ons begrip van personage, rol, performer en de personage-performerrelatie in vraag stellen. Deze opera’s tonen dat ondanks het frequente gebruik van deze strategieën op de operascène vandaag – in nieuw gecomponeerde opera’s en in nieuwe interpretaties van oudere opera’s – componisten en regisseurs een verscheidenheid van uitdagende manieren blijven ontdekken om de personage-performerrelatie te benaderen.
- Keywords
- contemporary opera, opera history, music analysis, performance analysis
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01HP4NRHE88WTCZ28JV8MCNHWD
- MLA
- Van Daele, Eva. Extended Characters : Opera’s Fascination with Reconfiguring the Character-Performer Relationship in the Twenty-First Century. Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, 2024.
- APA
- Van Daele, E. (2024). Extended characters : opera’s fascination with reconfiguring the character-performer relationship in the twenty-first century. Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent, Belgium.
- Chicago author-date
- Van Daele, Eva. 2024. “Extended Characters : Opera’s Fascination with Reconfiguring the Character-Performer Relationship in the Twenty-First Century.” Ghent, Belgium: Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Van Daele, Eva. 2024. “Extended Characters : Opera’s Fascination with Reconfiguring the Character-Performer Relationship in the Twenty-First Century.” Ghent, Belgium: Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.
- Vancouver
- 1.Van Daele E. Extended characters : opera’s fascination with reconfiguring the character-performer relationship in the twenty-first century. [Ghent, Belgium]: Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy; 2024.
- IEEE
- [1]E. Van Daele, “Extended characters : opera’s fascination with reconfiguring the character-performer relationship in the twenty-first century,” Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent, Belgium, 2024.
@phdthesis{01HP4NRHE88WTCZ28JV8MCNHWD,
abstract = {{One of the foundational conventions of the operatic genre – that a character is represented by a single performer – is occasionally broken in operas composed today. To understand this trend, this study maps different manifestations of the trend, exploring whether these strategies of multiplicity that renegotiate the character-performer relationship have historical precedents and identifying the musical and conceptual
implications of these interventions.
Challenging the convention of the one-to-one, character-performer relationship is significant as it was considered so crucial at the genre’s emergence. After some flirtations with strategies of multiplicity before 1900, the twentieth century saw a rise in both the prevalence and development of new strategies to reconfigure the character-performer relationship in newly composed operas as well as stagings of repertory operas. These
interventions range from employing multiple voices simultaneously to represent a single character, to rotating the roles among the performers, to adding a dancer, actor, or video recording to the live, onstage singer. Each of these techniques extend character representation beyond a single body and voice. Yet, despite the striking heterogeneity of the musical implications, motivations, and effects, certain principles can be detected in
the implementation of these strategies. The heterogeneity indicates the possibilities of the genre to foster and support a wide range of character-performer relationships and their corresponding visions of subjectivity. Moreover, contextualizing this trend within the long history of the genre demonstrates that recent examples of these strategies of multiplicity – like those listed above – are, in fact, a continuation of older trends rather
than anomalies. This study proves that the strategies visible in new operas are not foreign
to the genre. They capitalize on a multiplicity of representational means that has always been inherent to operatic character in its combination of vocal and orchestral music, words, embodiment, and visuals. While these strategies are not unique for the genre, it should not be a surprise that they flourish there.
By turning to operatic practice today and combining music analysis with performance analysis, this study examines three recent opera compositions and their first productions: Wim Henderickx’s The Convert (2022), Ben Frost’s The Murder of Halit Yozgat – An Opera Under Quarantine (2020), and Chaya Czernowin’s Heart Chamber (2019). The case studies respectively emphasize the character-performer relationship’s mutability, its capability for engaging critical reflection, and its potential for sketching the internal drama within a character. The analyses uncover the musical and dramaturgical ideas that underlie these works and reveal how they challenge our understanding of character, role, performer, and the character-performer relationship. These operas exemplify that despite the frequent use of these strategies on the operatic stage today – both newly
composed operas and new interpretations of older operas – composers and directors continue to uncover a variety of exciting ways to reconfigure the character-performer relationship.}},
author = {{Van Daele, Eva}},
keywords = {{contemporary opera,opera history,music analysis,performance analysis}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{XVI, 329}},
publisher = {{Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy}},
school = {{Ghent University}},
title = {{Extended characters : opera’s fascination with reconfiguring the character-performer relationship in the twenty-first century}},
year = {{2024}},
}