Turandot: Modern Atalanta - Spring 2009

In 1921, Giacomo Puccini began composing an opera which was to be his last.  The story was based on a play by Gozzi, also set by Schiller, which in turn owes much to the Greek archetypal myths of such as Atalanta, Hippodameia, and Thetis.  The archetypes of the reluctant bride, ice princess, femme fatale, and intellectual or athletic woman mix in these myths and plays, and reflect a fascination through time with the unattainably desired woman. Turandot, the princess who kills her spurned lovers, combines

Drive My Car: sexual politics in words and music - Summer 2011

Featured on the 1965 album Rubber Soul, the Beatles’ song “Drive My Car” was co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The style looks back to classic rock-n-roll with a modal melody and blue-note inflections, and references Otis Redding’s bass-heavy version of “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”[1] Examination of the lyrics as set by Lennon and McCartney shows a dynamic of power being established between the song’s narrator and a “girl.” This power play of the dominant female and the willingly subservient narrator who wishes to join her future plans is written into both the lyrics and the musical elements of the song.

Cosi Fan Tutte: Enlightened Minds versus Enlightened Hearts - Spring 2011

Introduction

Mozart and Da Ponte’s only original libretto features two couples who take a crash course in the School for Lovers. The cast consists of only six characters: two sisters, engaged to two best friends; and two philosophes, who lead the lovers through their 24-hour education. The cast is interconnected by similarities of gender, relationship status, occupation, and age. Mozart’s score and Da Ponte’s libretto delineate further