In Queer Opera, Andrew Sutherland argues that operas often reflect characteristics of the society and epistime in which they are written but that they also do much more than that; operas have agency. LGBTQ+ social, cultural, and political issues have become an increasingly defining feature of twenty-first century life, and as agency for change, composers have turned to opera to underscore the lived queer experience. Sutherland posits that operas written before the sexual revolution of the mid-twentieth century utilized a codified language both in the libretto and score, communicating with those observers open to a queer reading. He explores the growing trend of local, small-scale, independent opera companies seen around the world towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century and argues that this has emboldened queer artists to reclaim opera as a queer space. He further argues that for several centuries, opera houses have been safe havens for queer composers, librettists, performers, and designers, and yet it is only relatively recently that any serious attempt at queer representation in operatic works has begun to be realized. In this book, he examines narratives and music of selected operas to walk through queer history in Western societies and shines a light on how many of opera's well-known characters, based on historical figures who represent pivotal moments in the queer story, are responsible in a variety of ways for the continued struggle for queer acceptance.
In Queer Opera, Andrew Sutherland argues that operas often reflect characteristics of the society and epistime in which they are written but that they also do much more than that; operas have agency. LGBTQ+ social, cultural, and political issues have become an increasingly defining feature of twenty-first century life, and as agency for change, composers have turned to opera to underscore the lived queer experience. Sutherland posits that operas written before the sexual revolution of the mid-twentieth century utilized a codified language both in the libretto and score, communicating with those observers open to a queer reading. He explores the growing trend of local, small-scale, independent opera companies seen around the world towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century and argues that this has emboldened queer artists to reclaim opera as a queer space. He further argues that for several centuries, opera houses have been safe havens for queer composers, librettists, performers, and designers, and yet it is only relatively recently that any serious attempt at queer representation in operatic works has begun to be realized. In this book, he examines narratives and music of selected operas to walk through queer history in Western societies and shines a light on how many of opera's well-known characters, based on historical figures who represent pivotal moments in the queer story, are responsible in a variety of ways for the continued struggle for queer acceptance.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Antiquity
Chapter 2: Passing and Coding
Chapter 3: The Closet
Chapter 4: Hegemony
Chapter 5: Assimilation
Chapter 6: Killing Queers
Chapter 7: Homoerotic Awakening
Conclusion
References
About the Author
Andrew Sutherland is director of music at Methodist Ladies’ College and adjunct lecturer at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Queer Opera is a meaningful and necessary text, providing
perspectives worthy of consideration by all who love opera and wish
to see it thrive.
Queer Opera makes an important contribution to the evolving
understanding of what opera can be for audiences today. It tackles
complex issues of identity, behaviour, intention, and
interpretation in operas both historic and contemporary.
Acknowledging the complex relationship of opera and queerness
throughout history, the book examines a wide range of works through
a queer lens, and in doing so, offers up fresh insights into opera
more generally.
Sutherland, [can] be commended on many fronts. He has certainly
done his homework. He considers over fifty operas from the Baroque
to the present day. He does not set his sights on just the big
names but includes several operas by contemporary composers whose
names are hardly household words. He is scrupulous about including
lesbian composers and gives commendable attention to operas with
lesbian, bisexual, and trans characters. Along the way, he peppers
his discussions with fascinating tidbits of information. This is
hardly the first book to examine queer opera. A check of my local
university library under the subject heading "Homosexuality in
opera" produced 153 hits--books, dissertations, articles. Still,
Sutherland's study may be one of the first to embrace a wider,
"queer" compass.
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