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COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Copyright Service. sydney.edu.au/copyright CURATING OPERA Stephen James Mould A thesis submitted in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Sydney Conservatorium of Music University of Sydney October 2015 Page | 1 CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION Thesis title: Curating Opera Candidate’s name: Stephen James Mould I declare that this thesis is the result of my own research, that it does not incorporate without acknowledgment, any material submitted for a degree or diploma in any university and that it does not contain any materials previously published, written or produced by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Professional editor, Jacqui Smith, provided copyediting and proofreading services, according to the guidelines laid out in the university-endorsed national ‘Guidelines for editing research theses’, published as part of the Australian standards for editing practice. Signed ________________________ Dated _________________________ Page | 2 ABSTRACT Recent decades have seen the art curator emerge from a behind-the-scenes, anonymous position to that of a public functionary, challenging the role of the artist as the dominant force in the creation of art. A blurring of the roles of artist, gallerist and curator has resulted, along with a diversification in disciplines that attract curatorial attention, including science and architecture. The notion of Gesamtkunstwerk has frequently been evoked in the literature and even found its way into exhibition titles.1 The blurring of curatorial roles is also a characteristic of the opera house, where the singer, composer, conductor, impresario and (most recently), the stage director historically vie for predominance, giving rise to the power struggles for which the world of opera is renowned. The competing forces that drive operatic practice have so far had no visible commentators (such as the art world has recently acquired), to examine curating and curatorial roles within the opera house and to demystify the process for the public. This thesis will: (1) consider the so-called ‘birth’ of opera, with reference to the near-contemporary rise of the modern art museum; (2) examine aspects of the performance history of works by Gluck, Mozart and Beethoven, in order to demonstrate curatorial practices employed in the dissemination and maintenance of the repertoire; (3) consider curatorial tendencies within the modern opera house with reference to current performance practices and the related practices of art museums, highlighting aspects of authenticity, authorial intent, preservation and historically informed performance practice. 1 Harald Szeeman, ‘Der Hang zum Gesamtkunstwerk’, Kunsthaus Zürich, 1983. Page | 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis is the result of a lifetime’s interest in opera and the visual arts, particularly in the way that works in these genres are preserved, presented and adapted to changing circumstances. In terms of the operatic repertoire, much of what is discussed here stems from 25 years’ experience as an ‘insider’, working in opera houses and festivals in Central Europe, the UK, Australia, America and Asia. I am therefore indebted to the countless colleagues – conductors, singers, directors, dramaturges and administrators who I have worked with and learned from, along with the operatic institutions themselves. In terms of the curation of artworks, I would like to express my gratitude particularly to Peter Herel and Paul Pribila for the many conversations that have helped crystallise and inform the approach I have adopted. It would have been impossible to assemble the variety of material I have consulted without the tireless assistance, expertise and enthusiasm of the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Library, led by Ludwig Sugiri. In addition, I am grateful to the prompt assistance I received from staff of the British Library, United Kingdom and the Music Department of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, the archive of Peters Edition, Vienna and Ian Coss of Clear Music Australia. Timely completion of his thesis would have been impossible without the support of Professor Karl Kramer in granting me SSP leave in order to facilitate a period of sustained research and writing, free from teaching commitments. On a personal level a huge debt of gratitude goes to my supervisor, Professor Anna Reid, for her patient guidance, sound advice and belief in the direction of the thesis. I would also like to thank a number of people who have been extremely supportive in the evolution of this project, either through discussions or the reading of excerpts, they include Professor Imre Pallò, Warwick Fyfe, Anthony Clarke, Zoltan Szabo and Darren Saady. I would like to also thank Kieren Brandt-Sawdy for assistance with typesetting the musical examples along with my other conducting students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music over the last four years, who have been early recipients of my ideas and who have reacted with enthusiasm and valuable feedback. Finally, I would like to thank and dedicate this thesis to my daughter, Alice, who has been a constant source of patience, good humour and support through the several years of its gestation. Page | 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION ..................................................................................... 2 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................... 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS............................................................................................... 8 LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. 10 LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER ONE: THE RISE OF THE ART MUSEUM AND THE ROLE OF THE CURATOR .......................................................................................................................... 16 EARLY PUBLIC COLLECTIONS ............................................................................................ 22 THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ART MUSEUM .................................................................. 29 OPERATIC PARALLEL .......................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER TWO: THE ‘RISE’ OF OPERA AND ITS JOURNEY TO THE OPERATIC MUSEUM ...................................................................................................... 37 THE FOUR HUNDRED YEAR HISTORY OF OPERA ................................................................ 37 REPERTOIRE FORMATION .................................................................................................. 44 OPERA HOUSE AND OPERATIC MUSEUM ............................................................................ 51 INFINITE REPERTOIRES ....................................................................................................... 56 OPERA AS GRAND IDEA ....................................................................................................... 64 DEMISE OF THE REPERTORY .............................................................................................. 65 CHAPTER THREE: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: THE PROGRESS OF GLUCK’S ORFEO ............................................................................................................. 68 GLUCK THE REFORMER ...................................................................................................... 69 THE 1762 VIENNA VERSION ................................................................................................ 71 ORPHEUS TRAVELS .............................................................................................................. 77 FURTHER REFORM – THE 1774 PARIS VERSION ................................................................ 78 THE 1859 RESTORATION OF HECTOR BERLIOZ ................................................................ 80 BERLIOZ – RESTORER OF ORPHEUS AND HARBINGER OF SUBSEQUENT CURATIONS ...... 89 CHAPTER FOUR: CURATION, PRESERVATION AND AUTHENTICITY ..........