Sing Sorrow — Classics, History, and Heroines in Opera

McDonald (theater and classics, U. of California) provides a study of operas from the 17th century to the present, selecting those that abound in heroines who often differ from their classical prototypes. The first chapter discusses how composers, singers, writers, and critics have dealt with the relationship between the culture of classical antiquity and the emergence of the baroque opera as an important aesthetic form, as well as the theory of transmission. Subsequent chapters cover eight operas based on ancient Greek and Latin epic and tragedy. Each touches on the notion of heroism and offers mythological and historical background and a discussion of the opera's connection to the original classic, what the music adds, the relation of music to words and of the modern work to the ancient, and the role of religion, class and gender relationships. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

MARIANNE MCDONALD is Professor of Theatre and Classics at the University of California, San Diego, and a member of the Royal Irish Academy. She was a Fulbright professor in 1999 and in addition to her post at UCSD, is adjunct professor at Trinity College Dublin and a fellow at the National University of Ireland. With over 140 publications, she is the author ofTerms for Happiness in Euripides, Euripides in Cinema, Ancient Sun/Modern Light, andStar Myths.