This paper assesses nine prominent readings of the imperial context/content of Verdi’s ‘Aida’ and offers a new perspective more adequate to basic tensions in the work. Readings have ranged from the literal (imperial Europe here stages an archaeological “ancient Egypt”) to the metaphorical (“Egypt” here is any repressive government). Or–somew…[Read more]

Commentators often express disappointment that the music for the main characters in _Aida_ is not more distinctive, i.e., does not make much use of the exotic styles that mark the work’s ceremonial scenes and ballets. It has also been argued that exotic style-elements here are mostly confined to female, hence powerless, characters. Such…[Read more]

A detailed review of vol. 2 of Berlioz’s complete correspondence, with many corrections of errors in the edition. The article also prints, for the first time, eight letters of Berlioz, with translation and commentary.

Most previous writings on musical exoticism reflect the unspoken
assumption that a work is perceived by the listener as exotic only if it incorporates
distinctively foreign or otherwise highly unusual elements of
musical style. This “Exotic Style Only” Paradigm often proves revelatory,
especially for purely instrumental works. In operas and…[Read more]