Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Contemporary opera'

This study of contemporary opera in Britain considers first, the theoretical aspects of the creation of an opera, then moves to a survey of British opera companies and their productions of modern opera over the past 40 years. There follows a detailed study of three works produced in Britain during this time, all of which are of particular significance to this composer: Maxwell Davies’s The Lighthouse, Saariaho’s L’amour de loin, and Birtwistle’s The Minotaur. The final chapter concerns the production of my own opera, The Moonflower (2011). The study was informed by established theories about opera and its history; an examination of scores, libretti and programme booklets for some operas produced in Britain, 1970 – 2010; direct contact between the author and composers, co-creators, and the works themselves (including attendance at many recent operatic productions in London), and the analysis of excerpts from the three contemporary operas mentioned above, while investigation of opera companies active in the period aimed to identify some possible trends in programming. The creation and performance of the author´s own opera was the culmination of this investigation; it illuminated many of the issues raised above, concerning the process of composing, designing and staging an operatic work in the early twenty-first century.

This doctoral research comprises a practitioner-based reflective enquiry to bridge the gap between theory and practice and enhance my compositional output. In tandem with the composition of my chamber opera, The Exile, I have undertaken research into characterisation within the context of opera and musical theatre, with a focus on both the delineation of individual characters and the context in which they appear. Parameters of the work are discussed in comparison with canonic works of both opera and music theatre. Contemporary uses of leitmotif, representation of speech and folk music within operatic works are acknowledged and their influence on the composition is presented along with musical examples. The conventional composer-librettist partnership is discussed, along with suggestions for how respective roles for composer and librettist have evolved in recent times. An insight into the collaborative compositional process is presented in the final chapter, as my work with librettist Gillian Pencavel is discussed. The Exile is an original work informed by this research and is a contribution to the repertoire as well as an investigation into many compositional techniques presented in this thesis.

Iludens! - a concept-opera comprises conceptual essay and music portfolio. The conceptual essay explores musical, dramatic, and ritualistic aspects that qualify play as a structuring factor in culture. It aims at producing a multi-layered amalgamation of Philosophical Anthropology and Art, focusing on the strategies for creating a new piece of music - in this case, a conceptual opera (or performative oratorio). The music portfolio features several pieces composed by me throughout the doctoral period. Some pieces have a more direct connection to my doctoral research. The largest and most important one is the concept-opera Iludens, through which I developed patterns of aesthetic creation inspired by philosophical conceptions related to the notion of play. Also, as agon1 is one of the crucial aspects I was able to identify in the history of play, I have explored some agonistic features in culture and provided an interpretation of elements of conflictive interaction using the tools of contemporary concert music. The conceptual essay and the main piece of the music portfolio are intimately related. I consider music according to the Greek classic notion of mousiké, namely an entity of multiple knowledge and applications, rather than a mere craft of physical sounds.

A creative work and dissertation in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Research) Macquarie University, Division of Humanities, Dept. of Contemporary Music Studies.
Dissertation, libretto and score of the opera.
Thesis (MA)--Macquarie University (Division of Humanities, Dept. of Contemporary Music Studies), 2005.
Bibliography: p. 138-141.
Introduction -- Historical background and literature review -- Structural and philosophic changes -- Chamber opera: a genre in evolution -- Chamber opera: its potential for the future -- The personal experiment -- Conclusion..
From its origins as chamber opera just over four hundred years ago, Opera developed through the 18th and 19th centuries, in length and complexity, to attain the status of 'grand', a term that most people associate with opera to this day ... At the beginning of the 20th century, radical innovations in the arts influenced by movements such as the Bauhaus phenomenon, added to the aftermath of a world war that shattered existing socio-political structures and artistic sentiments turned from extroverted displays of grandeur to the creation of more cerebral, introverted styles. ... On the threshold of a new millennium, small, often experimental companies, passionately convinced of the relevance of, and excited by the artistic potential inherent in this revitalized form of opera, formed a loose consortium of creative artists internationally, similar in spirit to the original Camerata of the 16th century, making use of current technologies. Whether these newer works may be styled 'chamber opera' or 'music theatre', they represent a form in evolution, capable of further development into a new genre, a vital nexus of traditional skills applied to current issues, peculiarly suited to integration with electronic modes such as television.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
141 leaves music

This thesis includes a portfolio of written compositions and a written commentary. The compositions submitted present the development of a bespoke notation that reflects a specific set of aesthetic concerns. The written commentary is comprised of five chapters. The first four each deal with a specific aesthetic interest and present the majority of the composition portfolio as an ongoing research project. The final chapter is a commentary on the final work in the portfolio, the opera Palace of Junk, and reflects on this work as the culmination of the research undertaken. Throughout the commentary, aesthetic ideas are considered for both their sonic capabilities and the possibilities of imbuing a more physical style of playing. The subsequent notation developed, represents a method in which the resultant sound and physical action is implicit within the score.

Writing for solo instruments today offers composers an option to create a framework that results from the psychoacoustic interaction of composer, listener and performer. The interaction between musicians, audience and the concert environment, and the extent to which they themselves embody the material of the music presented, can be called into question and a composer's expectation of the dynamics of the concert situation is part of this examination. This understanding in turn prepares the way for one of the ultimate challenges and achievements for a composer, writing an opera. Opera combines all the other arts with the composer in command, which is not the case when composing for dance or providing auxiliary music for theatre. Writing an opera means that all features of structure and timing are in the composer’s hands. Opera has had a crisis of identity; the market for traditional operas and classic repertoire but there is no overall identity for contemporary operatic writers. However modern opera is still evolving. This thesis will recount a range of musical ideas developed for a variety of classical solo instruments, all of which attempt to create this interactive concert situation, before going on to consider the three year evolution of my opera The Doll Behind the Curtain.

This practice-led research explores the potential of multidisciplinary collaboration as a strategy to break down tacit knowledge and increase individual and group creativity. The auto-ethnographical exegesis documents the development of a major creative work, The Void and the Light and proposes a new collaborative model for the creation of contemporary opera. The knowledge generated from this research offers a practical insight into systematic methods for collaboration and strategies for aesthetic decision making in interdisciplinary ensembles.

This submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy focuses on works for large instrumental ensemble in conjunction with the voice. Instrumental ensemble and vocal mediums such as the orchestral art song, the song cycle and the opera in one act, provide platforms to explore the expressiveness of the lyrical dramatic voice and the dialectic tension between composing for the solo voice with a range of instrumental ensemble forces. The portfolio of compositions includes the orchestral song, The Woman Who Refused to Dance; the orchestral song trilogy, Spirit Songs; and the opera in one act, Queen Nanny of the Maroons. Issues of composition technique, vocal expression and operatic narrative are examined and in addition the three named works explore notions of post-colonial heroic representation of subjects that might not usually attract ideological recognition in Western European art music contexts. Methods for developing inclusive, post-modern musical language for the mixed instrumental and vocal ensemble are explored; including the employment of spoken word expression and the integration of popular music idioms within contemporary Western European art music contexts. In the writing of lyrics for the songs and libretto for the opera, increased responsibility is assumed in the completion of vocal works in addition to musical consideration to find the effects on the works when the roles of composer and writer are combined. With the opera in one act for solo voice, forming the major contribution to the portfolio, critical components that lead to effective music drama are assessed.

Ce projet de recherche se concentre sur les conditions generales de politique culturelle sous lesquelles se créent les nouvelles formes artistiques du theatre musical contemporain en Allemagne et en France.Le travail de recherche sur le présent thème est dédié aux tentatives d'innover et n'a pas pour objet de mettre la crise en évidence. L'intérêt de ce domaine de recherche réside dans la recherche de solutions en discutants des reformes et innovations tout en s'appuyant sur des études de cas tirées de la pratique actuelle du theatre musical en Allemagne et en France. Les pressants travaux reposent sur une étude des sept cas exemplaires. Les exemples choisis couvrent aussi bien le domaine des théâtres traditionnels en tant qu'institution que celui de la structure des collectifs. Il conviendra de montrer s'il existe un lien entre les libertés laissées par la politique culturelle et les innovations esthétiques, si l'on peut discerner des recoupements franco-allemands et si un intérêt pan-européen en matière de politique culturelle peut résider dans une reforme
This research project is concentrated to focus the general conditions of cultural policy which are responsible for the creation of new artistic forms of contemporary music theatre in Germany and France. For this the research is focussed on innovations and not on the analysis of the crisis. The aim is to find solution and discus different reforms in the artistic practices. The field work include the analysis of 7 case studies, traditional institutions and structures of the free landscape of contemporary music theatre in Germany and France. It will be shown in the analysis that there is a link between cultural policy and innovation of arts

My recent engagement as music director and conductor of Robert Nelson’s A Room with a View (1992, rev. 2004) has offered me the valuable opportunity to work on an opera side by side with its composer. The purpose of this dissertation is to reconstruct the various stages of the process of creation, interpretation, and performance of a contemporary opera, addressing aspects of the collaboration between the composer and the conductor. The methodology used in my research is based primarily on direct observation and interview. The investigation is conducted from the perspective of a “participant-observer,” due to my personal involvement in the project, as music director and conductor first, and then as interviewer and researcher. The document will be organized in three sections: - the first chapter will establish the context and specific features of my research, providing a scholarly background in relation to the study of the relationship between composer and conductor; - the second chapter will focus on the process of composition in all its stages. I have defined this as the “extended creative process” of A Room with a View; - the third chapter will discuss the Michigan State University production of the opera, considering several aspects of the artistic collaboration between Robert Nelson and me, as well as my involvement in the process as conductor. Through my research, I wish to provide useful insight into the crucial aspects of the composition and the production of new music. In addition, the project aims to offer a fresh contribution to the investigation of the relationship between composers and interpreters, and perhaps could provide some background reference for an interrogation about the current state and the future of American opera.

Monody in musical dramatic presentations emanates from an early Baroque opera genesis and exists in multiple forms in the musical theater of today. By examining the Baroque characteristics of monody within the opera genre, a direct comparison between Monteverdi's opera Orfeo (1607) and Schönberg's musical Les Miserables (1985) can be established. This correlation becomes pronounced upon the exploration of four specific examples: through the implementation of recitative and aria, the interdependent use of duet and chorus with the solo voice, the innovative incorporation of atypical tonalities within the melodic line, and the inventive application of instrumentation to enhance vocal expression in each work. Just as Monteverdi designed his recitative to express the emotion of the libretto, so Schönberg composes dynamic, emotional songs to enhance the epic story of Les Miserables. Though composed centuries apart, both works employ similar melodic, rhythmic, harmonic and orchestral constructs, confirming a similar genesis.

Throughout the twentieth century, Boris Goldovsky (1908-2001) played a significant role in training the operatic singer-actor. One of his most significant contributions was integrating music and drama. He taught his students how to develop a character, how to find dramatic clues in the music, and to become expressive artists free from monotonous operatic gestures and posturing. As author of the first textbook for training the operatic singer-actor, his curriculum was developed from experience, acting traditions, and mentor-student relationships. A new forum, Opera Workshop, allowed him to experiment and test his methods. Although Goldovsky is known to some scholars as the “Father of Training the Operatic Singer-Actor,” his presence in modern day training material is almost non-existent. How can we understand the needs of educating today’s operatic singer-actor without knowing the very foundation upon which it was built? This paper applies Goldovsky’s method of training to a staging and performance of Act II scene I from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Providing this modern application of his training will demonstrate the relevance of his contributions for educators in a contemporary university setting. My findings suggest that Goldovsky’s approach and philosophy to training the young singer-actor provides practical and valuable knowledge that is still viable for today’s university singer-actor educator.

The Pomegranate Cycle is a practice-led enquiry consisting of a creative work and an exegesis. This project investigates the potential of self-directed, technologically mediated composition as a means of reconfiguring gender stereotypes within the operatic tradition. This practice confronts two primary stereotypes: the positioning of female performing bodies within narratives of violence and the absence of women from authorial roles that construct and regulate the operatic tradition. The Pomegranate Cycle redresses these stereotypes by presenting a new narrative trajectory of healing for its central character, and by placing the singer inside the role of composer and producer. During the twentieth and early twenty-first century, operatic and classical music institutions have resisted incorporating works of living composers into their repertory. Consequently, the canon’s historic representations of gender remain unchallenged. Historically and contemporarily, men have almost exclusively occupied the roles of composer, conductor, director and critic, and therefore men have regulated the pedagogy, performance practices, repertoire and organisations that sustain classical music. In this landscape, women are singers, and few have the means to challenge the constructions of gender they are asked to reproduce. The Pomegranate Cycle uses recording technologies as the means of driving change because these technologies have already challenged the regulation of the classical tradition by changing people’s modes of accessing, creating and interacting with music. Building on the work of artists including Phillips and van Veen, Robert Ashley and Diamanda Galas, The Pomegranate Cycle seeks to broaden the definition of what opera can be. This work examines the ways in which the operatic tradition can be hybridised with contemporary musical forms such as ambient electronica, glitch, spoken word and concrete sounds as a way of bringing the form into dialogue with contemporary music cultures. The ultilisation of other sound cultures within the context of opera enables women’s voices and stories to be presented in new ways, while also providing a point of friction with opera’s traditional storytelling devices. The Pomegranate Cycle simulates aesthetics associated with Western art music genres by drawing on contemporary recording techniques, virtual instruments and sound-processing plug-ins. Through such simulations, the work disrupts the way virtuosic human craft has been used to generate authenticity and regulate access to the institutions that protect and produce Western art music. The DIY approach to production, recording, composition and performance of The Pomegranate Cycle demonstrates that an opera can be realised by a single person. Access to the broader institutions which regulate the tradition are not necessary. In short, The Pomegranate Cycle establishes that a singer can be more than a voice and a performing body. She can be her own multimedia storyteller. Her audience can be anywhere.

Cette étude se propose d’examiner les questions que soulève l'opéra de Pékin contemporain de Taïwan à travers deux exemples : Le Roi Lear mis en scène par Wu Hsing-Kuo et Orlando mis en scène par Robert Wilson. Ces deux spectacles en solo sont fondés sur des textes occidentaux traduits en chinois. Pour mettre en scène ces textes traduits, Wu Hsing-Kuo et Robert Wilson ont eu recours aux conventions et au jeu de l’acteur de l’opéra de Pékin. En dépit d’éléments similaires, les textes scéniques tissés par ces deux metteurs en scène diffèrent profondément. Dans le but de trouver une manière appropriée de décrire et d’analyser ce genre de spectacles métis qui sortent de leur cadre traditionnel, tout en gardant en même temps certains traits spécifiques, nous avons commencé par creuser les conceptions qui sous-tendent la forme de l’opéra chinois. Ensuite, nous avons approfondi les questions liées à la pratique ainsi que ses rapports avec les conceptions esthétiques chinoises. Dans la dernière partie de cette étude, nous nous appuyons essentiellement sur les conceptions développées dans les deux premières parties de cette thèse plutôt que sur les discussions sur la nature du théâtre interculturel pour les chercheurs occidentaux auxquelles se sont déjà référés beaucoup de chercheurs taïwanais. À travers l’analyse des deux spectacles, nous proposons une voie différente pour discuter des représentations « interculturelles », tels que les spectacles de l’opéra de Pékin contemporain de Taïwan, qui échappent aux règles et aux conventions bien établies et qui ne peuvent être jugés selon les standards habituels
This thesis aims to examine the questions suggested by two contemporary Peking opera productions in Taiwan: “King Lear” directed by Wu Hsing-Kuo and “Orlando” by Robert Wilson. These two adaptations are both based on Western masterpieces and each of them is performed by one trained Peking opera actor. Despite the similarities that appear in the works of the Taiwanese and the American director, the results of their experimentations on the stage differ considerably between each other. In order to find appropriate way to describe and analyze this kind of performances based on the fusion of traditional as well as foreign elements, we started by researching the conceptions which associate deeply with the form of Chinese opera. Then, we delved further into the relations between the practice of Chinese opera and the Chinese aesthetics concepts. Finally, we analyzed the two examples, not through the discussions related to “intercultural theater” developed by occidental researchers and commonly referred to Taiwanese researchers, but through the conceptions that we have developed in the last two chapters of this thesis. Through this study, we expect to propose a different way to approach the theatrical productions that broke the routine and cannot be analyzed by the standard rules

A presente pesquisa traça um percurso referencial artístico que culminou num gênero de performance digital denominado electropera. Este gênero híbrido é formado pelo encontro, numa mesma arena, da performance art, da música contemporânea assistida por tecnologias eletrônicas digitais e das mídias visuais manipuladas (cinema found footage e vídeo arte). A pesquisa parte da abordagem da performance na música com preocupações analíticas acerca da construção da persona no performer musical; caminha para os desdobramentos sonoros nas vanguardas e alcança os movimentos de música experimental resultantes da contracultura dos anos 60; analisa as concepções estéticas de alguns compositores referenciais que saíram dos limites restritivos da escrita musical e optaram pela inserção de múltiplas linguagens em suas obras e lança um olhar analítico sobre novo papel das mulheres como performers e conceptoras de trabalhos musicais no universo da multimídia. A síntese de toda essa genealogia conceitual, histórica e auto-referencial culminou com a produção e a análise crítica e processual de um trabalho pessoal, a electropera Ópio.
This research traces the referential path which culminated in a gender of digital performance entitled electropera. This hybrid gender is constituted by the encounter, in a same arena, of performance art, contemporary music assisted by digital electronic technologies and the manipulation of visual medias such as found footage and video art. This study analytically approaches performance in music by focusing on the elaboration of a persona by the musical performer. Including the sonorous developments on the avant-garde movements through the resulting experimental music derived from the sixties counter-culture and the conceptual aesthetics of some chosen composers which transgressed the restrictive boundaries of musical composition by encompassing multiple art forms. Allowing an analytical glimpse on the new role of women as performers and creators of musical works in the multimedia universe. The synthesis of this conceptual historicized and self-referential genealogy culminated in the production, critical and process analyses of an authorial work, the electropera Ópio.

La présente monographie s’inscrit dans le champ de l’anthropologie de l’art et dans celui des études théâtrales. Elle est constituée de plusieurs enquêtes ethnographiques qui visent à rendre compte, par une série de récits et d’analyse, du destin singulier d’un projet artistique que j’ai accompagné entre 2014 et 2017 : la conception d’une mise en scène pour l’opéra Parsifal. A travers cet évènement, je raconte l’histoire d’une rencontre paradoxale entre un artiste contemporain, Jonathan Meese, né en 1970, et un artiste du passé, Richard Wagner(1813-1883). Le spectacle devait avoir lieu dans le cadre du Festival de Bayreuth de 2016. Sa mise en scène, avec scénographie et costumes, fut conçue par Meese et ses équipes, et présentée aux intendantes. Mais l’affaire tourna mal : la rupture de contrat fut l’occasion d’une vive polémique. Pourtant la rencontre a bien pris place, comme processus de conception, dans les performances de l’artiste, et engendra un autre opéra – le Mondparsifal – présenté à Vienne puis à Berlin en 2017.Jonathan Meese occupe une place importante dans le paysage contemporain de l’art en Allemagne. Artiste plasticien touche-à-tout, il a fait de son personnage le médium central de son œuvre, par une mise en abysse permanente de sa position de grand artiste, entre génie romantique et artiste brut. Il est célèbre pour ses discours provocateurs – il proclame la « dictature de l’art » et reprend le salut hitlérien dans une esthétique influencée par le mouvement punk.Jouant des ambivalences de l’héritage Richard Wagner, Meese fait intervenir dans ses œuvres la figure du maître de Bayreuth, parmi d’autres figures issues de la haute culture allemande mais aussi de la culture populaire. L’exploration des enjeux de son engagement par le Festival montre que l’association de ces deux personnages, par l’étrange résonnance qu’elle produit,a le potentiel d’actualiser une part de l’héritage de Richard Wagner : la dimension radicale et totale de son œuvre.Cependant, l’enquête ethnographique réalisée parmi les wagnériens, au Cercle Richard- Wagner de Paris et au Festival de Bayreuth, montre que cet héritage est l’objet d’autres enjeux qui rendent le renouvellement difficile. D’autres préoccupations personnelles et d’autres valeurs, liés à l’excellence musicale, à la mondanité élitiste et la convenance touristique, favorisent une rigidification des attentes des publics. Celle-ci aura empêché l’œuvre réunissant Meese et Wagner de voir le jour.Le récit de la conception du spectacle qui fut imaginé pour Bayreuth montre les différents métiers aux prises avec les exigences de cette rencontre entre art contemporain et drame musical. Des divergences importantes y ont été observées quant aux manières de procéder ensemble sur le « sentier » de la création, et ce jusqu’à la présentation finale. Je décris la manière dont les images émergent dans l’espace de la discussion, comment différents supports sont utilisés pour les laisser évoluer ou pour les fixer temporairement. Je montre l’évolution cyclique des « versions » reprises à chaque séance, ainsi que les compétences des collaborateurs de l’artiste dans cet effort cognitif distribué.Enfin, j’ai utilisé la méthode ethnographique du dessin sur le vif pour faire le récit des répétitions de l’opéra contemporain Mondparsifal. Par cette méthode du dessin, par ses développements théoriques et par ses récits en première personne, cette dissertation pose l’étude des ambiances comme élément central dans le compte rendu des processus de création. Cette enquête interdisciplinaire met en évidence la singularité de Jonathan Meese en tant qu'artiste et producteur de théâtre, tout en abordant des questions plus vastes sur les processus créatifs polémiques
This doctoral dissertation interweaves the fields of anthropology of art and that of performance studies to examine the work of Jonathan Meese around the drama Parsifal. Through several ethnographic inquiries presented as a series of narratives and analysis, this monograph addresses the singular destiny of an artistic project that I followed in participant observation between 2014 and 2017: the conception of a staging for the opera Parsifal. This event allows the telling of the story of a paradoxical encounter between a contemporary artist, Jonathan Meese, born in 1970, and an artist of the past, Richard Wagner (1813-1883), two controversial polemicist creative figures in the Germany of their own times.The show was to take place in the 2016 edition of the Bayreuth Festival. The staging, with scenography and costumes, was designed by Meese and his team, and presented to the intendants. But the affair did not turn out as planned: they were not accepted for the Festival and the breach of contract was the occasion for a lively controversy. Yet the encounter took place, as a design process, in the performance of the artist, and brought forth another opera - the Mondparsifal - presented in Vienna and Berlin in 2017.Jonathan Meese holds an important position in the contemporary art landscape in Germany. A prolific visual artist, he has made his character the central medium of his work, by a permanent mise en abime of his position as a great artist, between romantic genius and art “brut”. He is famous for his provocative speeches - he proclaims the "dictatorship of art" and performs Hitler's salutes in an aesthetic influenced by the punk movement. Playing with the ambivalences of the Richard Wagner legacy, Meese brings into his work the figure of the Bayreuth master since the beginning of Wagner’s’ career – along with pop-culture figures and fairy-tales characters. The exploration of the stakes of his engagement by the Festival shows that the association of these two characters, by the strange resonance that it produces, has the potential to update a part of the heritage of Richard Wagner: the radical and total dimension of his controversial work. However, the ethnographic survey carried out among the Wagnerians, at the Richard-Wagner Circle of Paris and the Bayreuth Festival, shows that this heritage is the subject of a complex set of tensions that make renewal difficult. Personal concerns and long-established aesthetic musical values, discourses related to musical excellence, elitist worldliness and touristic convenience, favour a stiffening of public expectations.The first-person narrative of the staging's conception depicts the professional team struggling with the requirements of this encounter between contemporary art and musical drama. Significant divergences were observed as to how to proceed together on the "path" of creation - until the final presentation. I describe how the images of the staging emerge in the discussion space, how different media is used to let them evolve or to fix them temporarily. I show the cyclical evolution of the "versions" taken up at each session, as well as the skills of the collaborators of the artist in this effort of distributed cognition.Finally, I used ethnographic drawing to relate the rehearsals of the contemporary opera Mondparsifal. Through drawings, theoretical approaches, and ethnographic narrative this dissertation stays linked with the study of atmospheres as a central element in the account of the processes of creation. This interdisciplinary inquiry highlights the singularity of Jonathan Meese as an artist and theatre producer while engaging with larger questions about polemical creative processes
Diese Dissertation verbindet die Bereiche Anthropologie der Kunst und Performance Studies, um das Werk von Jonathan Meese um das Drama Parsifal zu untersuchen. Durch mehrere ethnografischen Untersuchungen, die als eine Reihe von Erzählungen und Analysen präsentiert werden, widmet sich die Monographie dem einzigartigen Schicksal eines künstlerischen Projekts, das ich zwischen 2014 und 2017 in teilnehmender Beobachtung verfolgt habe: die Konzeption einer Inszenierung für die Oper PARSIFAL. Dieses Ereignis ermöglicht die Narration der Geschichte einer paradoxen Begegnung zwischen einem zeitgenössischen Künstler, Jonathan Meese (Jahrgang 1970) und einem Künstler der Vergangenheit, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) - zwei umstrittene, polemische und schöpferische Figuren in Deutschland.Die Aufführung sollte 2016 im Rahmen der Bayreuther Festspiele stattfinden. Die Inszenierung mit Szenografie und Kostümen wurde von Meese und seinem Team entworfen und den Intendanten präsentiert. Aber die Sache lief nicht nach Plan: Sie wurden für das Festival nicht angenommen, der Vertragsbruch verursachte einen Skandal. Doch die Begebenheit fand als Entwurfsprozess und in einer Performance des Künstlers statt und brachte eine weitere Oper hervor - das MONDPARSIFAL -, das 2017 in Wien und Berlin aufgeführt wurde.Jonathan Meese nimmt eine wichtige Position in der zeitgenössischen Kunstlandschaft Deutschlands ein. Als bildender Künstler hat er seinen Charakter zum zentralen Medium seiner Arbeit gemacht, indem er seine Position als Künstler, zwischen romantischem Genie und der Art "brut", immer wieder hinterfragt. Er ist berühmt für seine provokanten Reden, proklamiert die "Diktatur der Kunst" und führt den Hitlergruß in einer von der Punk- Bewegung beeinflussten Ästhetik aus. Mit den Ambivalenzen des Richard-Wagner- Nachlasses spielend, bringt Meese die Figur des Bayreuther Meisters von Anfang an mit Popkulturfiguren und Märchenfiguren zusammen. Die Erforschung seines Auftrags bei den Bayreuther Festspiele zeigt, dass die Verbindung der beiden Charaktere, durch die besondere Resonanz, die sie erzeugt, das Potential hat, einen Teil des Erbes von Richard Wagner zu aktualisieren: die radikale und totale Dimension dieser kontroversen Arbeit. Die ethnografische Untersuchung der Wagnerianer, des Richard-Wagner-Verbandes in Paris und der Bayreuther Festspiele zeigt jedoch, dass dieses Erbe komplexe Spannungen erzeugt, die eine Erneuerung erschweren. Persönliche Anliegen und alteingesessene ästhetische Vorstellungen von Musik, Diskurse in Bezug auf musikalische Exzellenz, elitäre Weltläufigkeit und touristische Bequemlichkeit begünstigen eine Versteifung der öffentlichen Erwartungen.In der Erzählung des Konzeptionsprozesses wird das professionelle Team dargestellt, das sich mit der Begegnung zwischen zeitgenössischer Kunst und Musiktheater auseinandersetzt. Signifikante Konflikte wurden beobachtet, wie auf dem "Weg" der Schöpfung bis zur endgültigen Präsentation gemeinsam vorzugehen ist. Ich beschreibe, wie die Bilder der Inszenierung im Diskussionsraum entstehen, wie verschiedene Medien dazu benutzt werden, sich zu entwickeln oder temporär zu fixieren. Ich zeige die zyklische Entwicklung der "Versionen", die in jeder Sitzung aufgegriffen wurden, sowie die Fähigkeiten der Mitarbeiter des Künstlers in diesem Bemühen um verteilte Erkenntnis.Schließlich habe ich ethnografische Zeichnungen verwendet, um die Proben der zeitgenössische Oper MONDPARSIFAL zu erzählen. Durch Zeichnungen, theoretische Ansätze und ethnografische Narrationen ist die Dissertation mit dem Studium der Atmosphären als zentralem Element in der Darstellung der Schöpfungsprozesse verbunden. Diese interdisziplinäre Untersuchung beleuchtet die Einzigartigkeit von Jonathan Meese als Künstler und Theatermacher, und beschäftigt sich mit zentralen Fragen zu kreativen Prozessen

La présente thèse a pour sujet les cinq premiers opéras du compositeur hongrois Peter Eötvös : Trois Sœurs, Le Balcon, Angels in America, Lady Sarashina et Love and Other Demons, opéras créés entre 1998 et 2008. À travers le filtre de la réflexion menée par Michel Foucault dans son ouvrage L’archéologie du savoir, il est question de déterminer dans quelle(s) mesures(s) les cinq opéras, envisagés dans leur rareté comme cinq entités singulières, viennent pourtant constituer une seule et même série. La réponse à cette problématique s’articule autour de trois parties. La première s’attache à la rencontre du compositeur avec des sources littéraires, rencontre qui oriente l’élaboration des livrets et qui motive le travail sur les langues russe, française et anglaise. La deuxième partie est consacrée à la caractérisation musicale/opératique des personnages, au traitement de la narration au sein des cinq opéras et au rôle de l’interprète, rôle intimement lié à la destinée des ouvrages lyriques. Enfin, la troisième partie se propose de présenter les cinq mondes des cinq opéras en tant que glissements de l’un à l’autre, en tant qu’héritages d’un passé musical recontextualisé et en tant que révolutions intimes et collectives obéissant à une unique visée, ou plutôt à un unique devoir : celui de la mémoire comme passeuse de vie
This thesis is about the Hungarian composer Peter Eötvös’ first five operas: Trois Sœurs, Le Balcon, Angels in America, Lady Sarashina and Love and Other Demons, which were created between 1998 and 2008. Through the filter of Michel Foucault’s thinking developed in his work L’archéologie du savoir, the issue consists in determining to what extent(s) the five operas, considered in their rarity as five singular entities, form however one and the same series. The answer to this issue is in three parts. The first part applies to the composer coming across literary sources, which directs the librettos’ elaboration and motivates the work on Russian, French and English languages. The second part is devoted to the musical/operatic characterisation of the characters, to the narrative treatment within the five operas and the interpreter’s part, which is closely connected to lyrical works’ destiny. Finally, the third part intends to present the five worlds of the five operas as they slip from one into the other, as heritages of a recontextualized musical past, and as intimate and collective revolutions obeying one single aim, or more precisely one single duty: the one memory has to hand down life

The portfolio of compositions comprises six pieces: a chamber opera, an orchestral piece and four shorter chamber works. These pieces are diverse and distinct from one another but collectively explore aesthetic tensions relating to tonality, aura and ontology. The largest piece is a chamber opera setting Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, which has been flexibly scored as a series of fragments in order to reflect the quality of her text. The remaining pieces draw influence from poetry, landscape and the environment. They all encompass a series of material contrasts but attempt to simply contain these tensions in some way, leaving them partially unresolved. The thesis is a re-assessment of the music of the Ukrainian composer, Valentin Silvestrov, in particular, his 'metamusic' approach to composition that treats pre-existing styles as a form of musical metaphor. Through a series of comparisons with landscape and photography, I offer new vantage points for approaching the aesthetic issues present in his work, relating to aura, imitation and historical reference. The metaphors of landscape and photography might appear far removed from his work, but mediated by the work of the artist Gerhard Richter, offer a basis for critically analysing Silvestrov's approach. Furthermore, by drawing upon the theories of Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes and the geographer, Stephan Harrison, I demonstrate how concepts from other disciplines can be recast in order to be effective for approaching both Silvestrov and Richter. As a form of conclusion, I consider the role of photography in the production of CD covers and how this relates to the reception of Silvestrov's metamusic in a commercial setting.

Os filmes de ficção e as telenovelas são modalidades mais recentes do antigo hábito de contar e ouvir histórias. O cinema clássico desenvolveu normas e estratégias para organizar as narrativas. A telenovela se aproveitou de várias delas, assimilando algumas e modificando outras. Um grupo de filmes contemporâneos brasileiros aceitou algumas das características desenvolvidas pelas telenovelas e, ao mesmo tempo, herdou outras diretamente do modelo do cinema clássico, compondo um nicho de filmes bem recebido pela crítica e pelo público. Ao analisar obras do cinema clássico, telenovelas e filmes contemporâneos, as qualidades fundamentais do modo de contar histórias foram agrupadas em: organização da narrativa, personagens e protagonistas, e tempo e espaço.
Fiction films and soap operas are modern versions of the ancient habit of hearing and telling stories. Classic cinema has developed norms and strategies to organize narratives. Soap opera took advantage of these characteristics, has assimilated some and changed others. A group of Brazilian contemporary films have accepted some of these changes developed by soap opera, and, at the same time, inherited others directly from the classic model of narration. These films form a specific group well accepted by critics and public. Based on the analysis of classic movies, soap operas and contemporary Brazilian films, the narrative features were grouped as follow: narrative organization, characters and protagonists, and time and space.

This study uses the Tibetan mandala, a Buddhist meditation aid and sacred artform, as a secular critical model by which to analyse the complete fictions of author David Mitchell. Discussing his novels, short stories and libretti, this study maps the author's fictions as an interconnected world-system whose re-evaluation of secular belief in galvanising compassionate ethical action is revealed by a critical comparison with the mandala's methods of world-building. Using the mandala as an interpretive tool to critique the author's Buddhist influences, this thesis reads the mandala as a metaphysical map, a fitting medium for mapping the author's ethical worldview. The introduction evaluates critical structures already suggested to describe the author's worlds, and introduces the mandala as an alternative which more fully addresses Mitchell's fictional terrain. Chapter I investigates the mandala's cartographic properties, mapping Mitchell's short stories as integral islandic narratives within his fictional world which, combined, re-evaluate the role of secular belief in galvanising positive ethical action. Chapter II discusses the Tibetan sand mandala in diaspora as a form of performance when created for unfamiliar audiences, reading its cross-cultural deployment in parallel with the regenerative approaches to tragedy in the author's libretti Wake and Sunken Garden. Chapter III identifies Mitchell's use of reincarnation as a form of non-linear temporality that advocates future-facing ethical action in the face of humanitarian crises, reading the reincarnated Marinus as a form of secular bodhisattva. Chapter IV deconstructs the mandala to address its theoretical limitations, identifying the panopticon as its sinister counterpart, and analysing its effects in number9dream. Chapter V shifts this study's use of the mandala from interpretive tool to emerging category, identifying the transferrable traits that form the emerging category of mandalic literature within other post-secular contemporary fictions, discussing works by Michael Ondaatje, Ali Smith, Yann Martel, Will Self, and Margaret Atwood.

Travail dramaturgique, la these analyse de nombreuses representations contemporaines d'oeuvres anciennes. A travers l'etude de la renaissance de l'opera baroque, l'enjeu fondamental de la these est la comprehension du spectacle vivant. Les premiere et seconde parties rassemblent synthetiquement des informations essentielles a la comprehension de notre sujet : la mise en scene d'opera; le travail dramaturgique; les malentendus entre le public et le metteur en scene; l'origine de l'opera; la definition du mot "baroque"; l'histoire de l'opera baroque et l'histoire recente de sa redecouv erte par les musiciens, danseurs et comediens dits "baroqueux". Les troisieme et quatrieme parties presentent des recherches originales sur les principaux spectacles et leurs enjeux culturels. Selon le modele pragmatique des traites techniques des regisseurs machinistes de l'age baroque, une "pratique" definit d'abord les lieux, les techniques et les rhetoriques a l'oeuvre dans l'opera. Ensuite, dans un mouvement qui retrace une seconde fois l'histoire de l'opera baroque, nous analysons comment l'art de la mise en scene cree une "histoire imaginaire" qui reflete la notre. Les annexes, enfin, offrent un repertoire des mises en scene modernes d'operas baroques qui represente l'amorce d'une re cherche systematique en ce domaine, base de recherches et de comparaisons dramaturgiques ulterieures. Cette recherche entre memoire et creation nourrit une reflexion sur les paradoxes qui regissent la vie artistique et culturelle de notre civilisation. Le premier d'entre eux : l'association problematique, museale ou "vivante", de l'art et du culturel. Monteverdi et rameau sont-ils devenus nos contemporains a la grace d'une renaissance d'un genre nouveau? ou alors, le retour actuel de leurs spectacles ne trahit-il que l'impuissance d'un age voue a la nostalgie composite et au "kitsch"? ces questions restent ouvertes, grace a une nouvelle forme de sociologie de l'art, moins indifferente aux contenus esthetiques, que nous esquissons au-dela de cet essai, destine autant aux spectateurs qu'aux artistes
As a study on dramatic art, the thesis analyses numerous contemporary performances of old works. While focusing on the rebirth of baroque opera, the primary purpose of the thesis is to understand the live performance. The first and second parts are a synthetic compilation of information that is vital to understanding the subject at hand: namely the staging of opera; the mis understandings between the audience and the producer; the origins of opera; the definition of the word "baroque"; the history of baroque opera and the recent history of its rediscovery by musician s, dancers and actors described as "baroqueux". The third and fourth parts present original research on the best-known works and their cultural significance. According to the pragmatic model of the technical treatises of stage managers of the baroque period, a "pratique begins by defining the places, the techniques and the rhetoric involved in opera. Then, in a movement that relates once again the history of baroque opera, we provide an analysis of how the art of staging creates an "imaginary story" that reflect s our own. Finally, the annexes contain a repertory of the modern staging of baroque operas that represents an initial attempt at systematic research in this field and will serve as the foundation for subsequent dramatic art research and comparisons. This research between recollection and creation leads one to reflect on the paradoxes that govern the artistic and cultural life of our civilization. The first of such paradoxes is the problematic, historical or "live" association betw een art and culture. Have monteverdi and rameau become our contemporaries thanks to the rebirth of a new genre? or else, does the revival of their works merely betray the powerlessness of an era caught up in a kind of composite nostalgia and "kitsch"? these questions remain open because of the emergence of a new form of art sociology, one that is less indifferent to the esthetic content which we touch upon elsewhere than in this essay that is intended as much for the audience as it is for the artists

Le theme de cette recherche est l'analyse de la production lyrique contemporaine italienne (puccini, dallapiccola, berio, nono) en mettant en valeur les incidences de l'ecriture musicale dans le traitement du texte et ses repercutions sur la representation lyrique telle qu'elle devrait apparaitre aujourd'hui. L'opera italien contemporain propose une nouvelle forme d'ecoute ainsi qu'un nouveau rapport du spectateur a l'image de la scene. La constitution de l'image incombe au metteur en scene desormais considere comme veritable lecteur / createur de l'oeuvre, celui sans qui l'oeuvre ne peut exister. La place du metteur en scene est inscrite dans l'oeuvre et le travail effectue sur l'oeuvre contemporaine s'avere necessaire aussi pour l'oeuvre du passe. The purpose of this research is to analyse the contemporary italian opera production (puccini, dallapiccola, berio, nono). We tried to see what sort of consequences the new way of writing music and considering text had on the opera representation. The italian contemporary opera proposes a new way of listening music and a new relation between the audience and scenical image. The new image has to be produced by a new kind of stage director considered as a real artist who can give an interpretation of the work. That's the only way opera can still exist. The part of the stage director is clearly request in modern opera, but it becomes necessary in productions of repertory operas too.

This thesis investigates Theatre for Young People (TYP) as a site of performance innovation. The inquiry is focused on contemporary dramaturgy and its fieldwork aims to identify new dramaturgical principles operating in the creation and presentation of TYP. The research then seeks to assess how these new principles contribute to Postdramatic Theatre theory. This research inquiry springs from an imperative based in practice: Young people under 25 years have a literacy based on online hypertextual experiences which take the reader outside the frames of a dramatic narrative and beyond principles such as linearity, dramatic unity, teleology and resolution. As a dramaturg and educator I wanted to understand the new ways that young people engage in cultural products, to identify and utilize the new principles of dramaturgy that are now in evidence. My research examines how two playwright/directors approach their work and the new principles that can be identified in their dramaturgy. The fieldwork is scoped into two case studies: the first on TJ Eckleberg working in Australian Theatre for Young People and the second on Kristo Šagor working in German Children’s and Young People’s Theatre (KJT). These case studies address both types of production dramaturgy - the dramaturgy emergent through process in devised performance making, and that emergent in a performance based on a written playscript. On Case Study One the researcher, as participant observer, worked as production dramaturg on a large scale, site specific performance, observing the dramaturgy in process of its director and chief devisor. On Case Study Two the researcher, as observer and analyst, undertook a performance analysis of three playscripts and productions by a contemporary German playwright and director. Utilizing participant observation, reflective practice and grounded analysis the case studies have identified two new principles animating the dramaturgy of these TYP practitioners, namely ‘displacement’ and ‘installation.’ Taking practice into theory, the thesis concludes by demonstrating how displacement and installation contribute to Postdramatic Theatre’s “arsenal of expressive gestures which serve as theatre’s response to changed social communication under the conditions of generalized communication technologies” (Lehmann, H.-T., 2006, p.23). This research makes an original contribution to knowledge by evidencing that the principles of Postdramatic Theory lie within the practice of contemporary Theatre for Young People. It also contributes valuable research to a specialized, often overlooked terrain, namely Dramaturgy in Theatre for Young People, presented here with a contemporary, international and intercultural perspective.

L’histoire littéraire de Puck et les sources du Songe d’une nuit d’été de Shakespeare sont confrontées à leurs illustrations musicales par Benjamin Britten, Victor Vreuls, Marcel Delannoy et René Gerber. Ainsi, les quatre livrets sont étudiés conjointement à la pièce dont ils sont issus. L’analyse du rôle dans les opéras permet de dégager des points de convergence et de divergence dans la mise en musique de la pièce par les quatre compositeurs
The history of Puck in litterature and the sources of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream are confronted with their musical settings by Benjamin Britten, Victor Vreuls, Marcel Delannoy et René Gerber. Then, the four librettos are compared to the play. The analysis of the character in the operas leads to converging and diverging options in the four musical settings of the original play

In opera, the opera chorus actively shapes the dramatic structure through interactions with the soloists, commentary after events, and momentum provided toward scene endings. Since the chorus traditionally represents the voice of the people, it also provides a natural access point by which audiences may connect to the unfolding drama. To realize its dramatic potential, an opera chorus must have a resonant, vibrant sound that is more “soloistic” than other genres of choral music. Indeed, there are quantifiable acoustic differences between classical solo and choral singing. The characterizations of the chorus must also be convincing. Yet there is only minimal research, to date, describing a systematic approach to rehearsing the opera chorus and applying those rehearsal techniques to specific musical examples. In this disquisition, I summarize existing research regarding choral rehearsal strategies and the role of the chorus master. I then synthesize and apply this research in the form of a chorus master’s analysis of choral excerpts from three contemporary operas recently produced by The Minnesota Opera: Norwegian composer Poul Ruders’ (b. 1949) The Handmaid’s Tale (1998), Jake Heggie’s (b. 1961) Dead Man Walking (2000), and American composer Kevin Puts’ (b. 1972) Silent Night (2011). I argue that a chorus master’s rehearsal strategies for these works must invite efficient, classical vocalism and a dramatic, textually informed interpretation of the elements of melody, harmony, form, rhythm, texture, and timbre. The composers of these three operas hoped to engage audiences about specific social issues: whether absolute power corrupts any ideology in The Handmaid’s Tale; whether capital punishment should be allowed in Dead Man Walking; and from the historical wartime truce in Silent Night, whether violent conflict is the direct result of our failure to seek connections with others who hold convictions different from our own. But social learning requires dialogue. The opera chorus, in giving voice to the people, can be a bridge between the audience and the greater social lessons to be learned from these operas. It can inspire audience members to share their experience and begin this dialogue. Thus, for the chorus master, there is much at stake.

In opera, the opera chorus actively shapes the dramatic structure through interactions with the soloists, commentary after events, and momentum provided toward scene endings. Since the chorus traditionally represents the voice of the people, it also provides a natural access point by which audiences may connect to the unfolding drama. To realize its dramatic potential, an opera chorus must have a resonant, vibrant sound that is more ?soloistic? than other genres of choral music. Indeed, there are quantifiable acoustic differences between classical solo and choral singing. The characterizations of the chorus must also be convincing. Yet there is only minimal research, to date, describing a systematic approach to rehearsing the opera chorus and applying those rehearsal techniques to specific musical examples. In this disquisition, I summarize existing research regarding choral rehearsal strategies and the role of the chorus master. I then synthesize and apply this research in the form of a chorus master?s analysis of choral excerpts from three contemporary operas recently produced by The Minnesota Opera: Norwegian composer Poul Ruders? (b. 1949) The Handmaid?s Tale (1998), Jake Heggie?s (b. 1961) Dead Man Walking (2000), and American composer Kevin Puts? (b. 1972) Silent Night (2011). I argue that a chorus master?s rehearsal strategies for these works must invite efficient, classical vocalism and a dramatic, textually informed interpretation of the elements of melody, harmony, form, rhythm, texture, and timbre. The composers of these three operas hoped to engage audiences about specific social issues: whether absolute power corrupts any ideology in The Handmaid?s Tale; whether capital punishment should be allowed in Dead Man Walking; and from the historical wartime truce in Silent Night, whether violent conflict is the direct result of our failure to seek connections with others who hold convictions different from our own. But social learning requires dialogue. The opera chorus, in giving voice to the people, can be a bridge between the audience and the greater social lessons to be learned from these operas. It can inspire audience members to share their experience and begin this dialogue. Thus, for the chorus master, there is much at stake.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2003. Graduate Programme in Ethnomusicology.
Typescript. Includes portions of the libretto and score of the author's opera Hanging at dawn. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ99324

Capital is a two act opera which incorporates a range of different stylistic elements as a means of communicating with a broad audience and promoting discourse about the future of the city of Canberra. This dissertation encompasses a detailed exegesis of my research as well as the final score of the opera. Together they are designed to support the proposition that opera can retain a socially relevant role today. Such a proposition sits in stark contrast to statistics that demonstrate a serious decline in interest in all classical music genres in the last few decades. Opera has been reinvigorated at different historical points by embracing heterogeneous elements, engaging interactively with audiences, and addressing socially relevant concerns. Many commentators, particularly Theodor Adorno, have looked to Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute as the ideal model for an opera that both entertains and edifies the audience. This thesis examines the strategies Mozart employed in his iconic opera. It also explores different compositional approaches taken by composers such as Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Larry Sitsky, John Adams, and Louis Andriessen, designed to achieve similar ends. The defining feature of such works is a willingness to incorporate culturally meaningful musical allusions that represent different perspectives and, through a process of recontextualisation, invite a reappraisal, revealing previously hidden facets of the original material. This approach is consistent with the practice of parody, as described by literary scholar, Linda Hutcheon. Parody was a common feature of the traditional opera buffa genre. It harks back to an earlier era, when music was valued for its functional utility rather than its structural unity or commercial success. Such operas have historically come to be overshadowed by a Wagnerian quest for an organically unified form of art, which, in accord with nineteenth-century aesthetic standards, should ideally eliminate all extraneous material and aspire to express a transcendent spiritual aura. In response to this, many twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers have been seeking to find an alternate role for opera by reclaiming it as an essentially heterogeneous art form that excels at parody. Capital is an opera that sits firmly within the parodic tradition. Like other works examined in this thesis, it embraces opera as a heterogeneous mix of art forms ultimately grounded in the hopes and aspirations of contemporary life. It is a work that favours diversity and debate rather than conformity and unity. It challenges the long- standing paradigm that separates classical and popular music on a hierarchical basis, accepting that both might be legitimate sources for music which seeks to play a functional role in contemporary discourses. By engaging with local issues, and incorporating a unique mix of heterogeneous elements, Capital makes an original contribution to opera in Australia.

Anhui Opera is a vital part of Huizhou culture that spread over centuries to more than half of China. It occupies an important position in the history of traditional music. Yet Anhui Opera was on the verge of extinction prior to the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. Only after 1949, when this new government adopted a policy of conservation, was Anhui Opera able to rise again from obscurity. This thesis aims to reveal the charm and significance of Anhui Opera by exploring its main stylistic characterises as primarily develop in Hefei, old Huizhou (now Huangshan city) and Anquing in China’s Anhui Province. It offers an ethnomusicological investigation of the contentious issues of the Anhui Opera’s origins, its distinctiveness from the other Chinese opera styles, and the influence of present cultural policies on its continuing development. It examines the historical development of the Anhui Opera Troupe (Anhui-Peking Opera Theatre) in Anhui Province, and the contemporary revival of Anhui Opera in recent times. It concludes that Anhui Opera most likely originated in Huizhou in the south of Anhui Province, but also became popular in Shipai. It also demonstrates how suitable government cultural policies play a decisive role in the survival and transmissions of Anhui Opera and considers avenues for further research.
Thesis (MPhil) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 2021

The practical scope of this dissertation is study the development and implementation, since the creative process of an opera production, wearable technologies on one or more singers/musicians to control certain musical and visual elements on stage in order to analyse and study approaches for DMI development and mapping, data visualisation, real-time voice processing and digital scenography focused on stage-based performances. Furthermore, the project it aims to shed light on methodologies for rehearsing, staging and performing with these technologies.
 The technology used is a wearable data glove with pressure sensing and inertial measuring units, communicating wirelessly to a computer system that maps the data onto high-level information to be used with audiovisual software.The proposed device his implemented in a opera, layout out in an conventional way, which introduces wearable technology as a strategy for augmenting it's narrative through the use of audiovisual apparatus. The main objective is to put the technology in function of the narrative and extract an analysis on the advancements of expanding a somewhat conventional production to a multimedia Opera, and study its impact on artists expectations, creativity and performing achievements. We take in account variables such as technological application strategies, production challenges, performing effort and interrelation between performers and digital media.

The practical scope of this dissertation is study the development and implementation, since the creative process of an opera production, wearable technologies on one or more singers/musicians to control certain musical and visual elements on stage in order to analyse and study approaches for DMI development and mapping, data visualisation, real-time voice processing and digital scenography focused on stage-based performances. Furthermore, the project it aims to shed light on methodologies for rehearsing, staging and performing with these technologies.
 The technology used is a wearable data glove with pressure sensing and inertial measuring units, communicating wirelessly to a computer system that maps the data onto high-level information to be used with audiovisual software.The proposed device his implemented in a opera, layout out in an conventional way, which introduces wearable technology as a strategy for augmenting it's narrative through the use of audiovisual apparatus. The main objective is to put the technology in function of the narrative and extract an analysis on the advancements of expanding a somewhat conventional production to a multimedia Opera, and study its impact on artists expectations, creativity and performing achievements. We take in account variables such as technological application strategies, production challenges, performing effort and interrelation between performers and digital media.

碩士
國立臺灣藝術大學
表演藝術研究所
98
This study aims at examining “Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe” as a case study to understand the contemporary development of Hakka Opera in Taiwan. In this study, I will apply the concepts of “performance context”, “thick description”, “comprehensively aesthetic viewpoint”. I will also ground my analyses on literature reviews, fieldwork materials, play analysis in order to investigate how Hakka Opera has been staged on different fields and how theater practices of “Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe” provide cultural actions. First. I use the concept of “performance context” to trace the different Hakka Drama performances in commercial opera theater, in outdoor theater and in modern theater throughout Taiwanese theater history. Second, I apply Clifford Geertz’s “thick description to interpret and analyze how “Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe” constructed the discourse of contemporary Hakka Opera through preserving and staging Taiwan San Jiao Cai Cha Xi, building a training system for Hakka’s drama actors, and promoting Hakka’s drama in Taiwan. From this analysis, I want to point out the difficulties and the issues in the development of contemporary Hakka drama. Finally, using the concept of “comprehensively aesthetic viewpoint”, I will discuss the performance of “Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe” in modern theater and propose some suggestions for the future.

碩士
中國文化大學
戲劇學系
99
The major discussions of the contemporary Peking Opera Play Writing “Abyss” are as follows. How does grudge interfere the victim? How to manage an issue without a proper legal settlement? Can execution bring contentment to the victim? Can personal revenge comfort the devastation? If not, who should be liable for that? There are numerous examples of criminal cases in traditional Peking Opera. The justice ending comforts the souls of the victims. Without the lift of the righteousness, however, how should the families of the victim be released from the grief? Being a play writer, I am devoting my effort to bring up the awareness of these issues. “Abyss” is written in “Peking Opera” format, structured through the legal case, presented by the interlacing of reality and imagination, based on the depiction of the major characters. In addition to my originality, I grounded this play writing on the foundation of theory of the thesis. There are totally seven scenes of the entire play, approximately 120-150 minutes. Four chapters are included in this thesis. The first chapter states the motivation and research of this project, my writing style and my goal. The second chapter explains the literary value, as well as the special features of Peking Opera. The definition of “Gong-An Opera of Yuan Dynasty” will also be analyzed and compared with my contemporary Peking Opera “Abyss”. New factors have been added into my play writing to be distinctive from the traditional Peking Opera. The third chapter is focused on the selection of the topic and the summary of the content of each scene, the analysis of the characters, the categorizing of the character and the relationship in between. The last chapter includes the story line, development of characters, the arrangement of the music and the lines in details.