‘How to be an emperor’: acting Alexander the Great in opera seria
Richard G. King is Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Music. His research focuses on 18th-century music in general and Handel in particular; he has also edited a collection of essays on popular music (A rock reader), and is currently writing a monograph entitled At play with history: Alexander the Great in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century culture. rgking{at}umd.edu
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Abstract |
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Employing the example of Alexander the Great in opera seria, this essay reconsiders the performance of heroic roles in the 18th century. One of its aims is to extend our current understanding of Baroque gesture by taking seriously what contemporary acting tutors and treatises say: a complete performance is possible only after careful study of gesture in painting and statuary. An examination of Alexander iconography suggests both specific tactics for the singer, director and designer; and, more importantly, a broader agenda: the representation of Alexander's essential grandeur. A second goal is to determine to what extent our performances today of Alexander and other operatic heroes can be shaped by comprehension of their significance and meanings for those who created and consumed heroic art in the 18th century. These heroes were (and are) not interchangeable, not simply emblems, but rather, individuals whose stories conjured up a host of resonances specific to each. We might portray them accordingly. Finally, the article explores some of the aesthetic and philosophical questions raised by this kind of historical approach.
Key Words: Alexander the Great • Alessandro • Georg Frideric Handel • early opera production • musical iconography