Opera, the Undoing of Women - A book review

Opera, the Undoing of Women by Catherine Clément is still the foremost work on the inherent an latent misogyny in the beloved operas across the centuries. The book is written like a traditional opera guide, with short but insightful vignettes for each featured opera, which ranges from Turandot, to The Magic Flute, to the Ring cycle. This book was recommended to me by Alexandra Wilson (@amwilson_opera on Twitter - go follow her, seriously!), and it was one of the best recommendations I have ever received. 

As a woman who identifies as a composer, a singer, and a musicologist, this book addresses what I`ve been feeling since my freshman year in university - why are women always sacrificed in opera? Why are we killed off, maimed, forgotten about, abused, and raped, so that the male leads can evolve? Yes, we all understand that operas are meant to be unbelievable, fantastic, and tragic beyond our worst nightmares, but it always seemed to me that we womenfolk suffered a disproportionate amount of pain and suffering - and worse, the male academics I have encountered are generally oblivious to women`s appetite for misery in operas. Many became defensive about these operas, going so far as to become agitated and chalk my questioning of opera up to my ''feminazi'' opinions.

Susan McLary  addresses these knee jerk reactions in her forward, discussing the need to examine the libretto as a separate entity from the music. Beautiful music and haunting duets can do a great deal to mask the distressing plots and their accompanying social implications. She goes on to explain why ''art'' should never get a free pass from criticism, and while other artistic mediums have long been facing examination, opera has gone largely uncriticized for hundreds of years.

The language in Opera, the Undoing of Women reflects that of a woman who truly loves opera, and feels like she was betrayed by it. Many of us can say that we grew up adoring and admiring some piece of literature or drama, only to discover as you age that is stands in direct opposition to everything we believe as modern, independent women. Catherine Clément is our voice in the vast, barren wilderness of opera criticism.

I know from talking to my peers on Twitter (@amwilson_opera, as well as Dan thorpe; @danisnotadj and Jen Wang; @jen_wang) that many of us would like to see an updated edition of this book that addresses the operas written in the last 20 years, to evaluate whether things have improved (The Anna Nicole Smith opera, anyone?). Many of us would also love to see a book that tackles the racial issues of opera and the disconnect of those stories from contemporary views.

On that note - if you know of a book that critiques the racial and gender issues in opera, please drop the title into the comments below, or you can find me on Twitter @angelinapanozzo. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more book reviews in the future!