Lecture 3: "John Cage and Anarchic Opera" followed by a performance of EUROPERA 5 | 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. CDT
Location:
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Performance Hall
915 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Picking up on a line from his new book, A New Philosophy of Opera (2024), director Yuval Sharon explores the question under his theme of "Anarchy at the Opera": Is opera a standard bearer or a pall bearer for the status quo?
Anarchy, as a much-maligned political ideology, offers a provocative and generative way to consider an evolution for the art form of opera as a critique of the status quo. These lectures explore both historic experiments in non-hierarchical creation—John Cage’s Europeras and the history of improvisation in opera—as well as Sharon’s own practical experiences with “anarchic” opera (the George E. Lewis and Monteverdi mash-up of Comet/Poppea and the multi-perspectival Sweet Land, both produced by The Industry). He looks at the institution of producing opera to consider if other forms of production can make opera a more dynamic and revolutionary presence in our culture.
The final lecture will conclude with a rare live performance of John Cage’s Europera 5, directed by Sharon, as a demonstration of the ideas explored in his talks.