Performing the Eighteenth Century

""[...] an unforgettable and exciting journey into premodernity with all the details of the time brought back to the stage today in order to question the intervening times and traditions in performing arts, particularly opera. On the one hand, [the book] is a piece of meticulous, in-depth research that has brought together history, theory, and practice, which is not a regularity in academic research. On the other hand, the book can be used as a very practical guide to staging eighteenth-century operas today, uncovering potential challenges and solutions depending on the chosen performers and their experience, the place (stage), and the audience. Basically, one could not find a better, more precise discussion on ""how to stage an eighteenth-century opera"" today, free from any embarrassment of one's personal ignorance, as the authors invite each other to dig deeper, cross-reference each other, and keep the conversation alive instead of presenting a set of didactic indications. I would describe it as a must-read compendium for practitioners of eighteenth-century performing arts, as well as theatre scholars and musicologists to be. One may be surprised by the ease with which the text holds the readers' attention and entices them to discover more chapter by chapter. This is the case when professional literature dares to bring in some excitement from behind the scenes of both the practical and the academic part of research. [...] In short, Performing the Eighteenth Century: Theatrical Discourses, Practices, and Artefacts represents an essential source of information for anyone working with the repertoire in question, both for performance and academic research. The theory-praxis-based anthology already functions as a handbook for staging eighteenth-century operas in quite a few projects across Europe, and I predict that more and more interested producers and musicians will use it in the future. In it, theatre and music scholars will find a fresh, helpful source of references and material to develop their lectures."" -Lauma Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Latvian Academy of Music, Nordic Theatre Studies ""The joy and enthusiasm of working with practical exploration shines through the book, and as a reader, I become engaged and interested in the thoughts [the authors] had, the choices they faced during the various processes, and how they made decisions. ... The texts provide valuable insight into the interaction between academic and artistic work, and into the exchange between the two through processes that involved various stagings and the exploration of elements such as the placement of actors on stage, lighting, and costumes. ... It is a solid and rich publication with high interdisciplinary relevance. I hope they are already planning their next project, and I hope that researchers, directors, and theatre artists will engage with the project's questions and findings and will work with historical pieces with the ""reflexivity"" and attention presented here. In the words of Mark Tatlow: ""Ultimately, these are things you have to explore and experiment with in rehearsal and even in performance."" -Elizabeth Svarstad, Norwegian Academy of Music