Report of Monthly Regular Meeting January 2024 (The 216th Meeting of Opera Research Group)
Waseda Institute for Research in Opera and Music Theatre (WIROM), Comprehensive Research Organization,Waseda University
- Time and Date: January 20th (Sat.) 2024, 16:30 – 18:00 (JST)
- Format: Online meeting (Zoom)
- Presenter: ARAMATA, Yusuke
- Affiliation: Daito Bunka University, Department of Foreign Languages
- Title: “ ‚(S)cheinbar ganz schlicht‘– A play within a play and Zerbinetta’s self-direction”
- Language: Japanese
- Abstract: A play within a play forcefully conveys to the audience the impression that what is being portrayed lies somewhere between truth and falsehood. A typical example is the wardrobe scene with which “Ariadne auf Naxos” begins. The soprano who sings Ariadne and the tenor who portrays Bacchus enter the stage without costumes or wigs, providing a behind-the-scenes view. Their appearance lacks the aura of mythical figures.
Only one character, Zerbinetta, remains the same throughout the performance, for the coquette of commedia dell’arte always plays “herself.” But is this assessment correct? It must be remembered that Zerbinetta herself claims that she only plays the role of the coquette.
How this claim is understood has a significant impact on the interpretation of the entire work. Perhaps this is where the perspectives of the author H. v. Hofmannsthal and the composer R. Strauss diverge. The stage directions warn us not to take Zerbinetta’s statement literally, but the music seems to ignore this completely.
In this presentation, I analyze the interactions between Hofmannsthal’s text and Strauss’s music, with a specific focus on Zerbinetta’s stage presence and sincerity. - Profile of Presenter: Yusuke Aramata is an associate professor at Daito Bunka University, Department of Foreign Languages. At Waseda University, he studied the literary movement of young writers at the end of the 19th century, focusing on the lyric dramas of Hugo von Hofmannsthal. He has written articles mainly on the literature of the Wiener Moderne. Recent articles on this topic are:
„Linearität und Kreislauf: Naturgenuss und künstlerisches Schaffen in Hugo von Hofmannsthals Prosawerk Sommerreise.“ (Waseda Blätter Nr. 30, 2023)
„Die Kugel des Erzengels und ihre Verwandlung. Das Licht in Hofmannsthals Prosawerk Erinnerung schöner Tage.“ (Waseda Blätter Nr. 26, 2019)
„Erzähltes, reflektiertes und fiktionalisiertes Leben. Zu Schnitzlers Novelle Casanovas Heimfahrt.“ In: Nachleben der Toten. Autofiktion. (IUDICIUM Verlag München, Japanische Gesellschaft für Germanistik, 2017). - Moderator: KITAGAWA, Chikako
＊ Comment: There were 28 participants
