As an alternative to the realistic and the symbolic, I propose poetic readings [for opera] as the most rewarding path…Unlike most narrative fiction, poetry possesses a natural aptitude for ambiguity; it’s looser, more associative, and more interested in poetical meanings that arise from familiar words being used in unfamiliar ways…Narrative fiction is inclined to adhere closer to the experience of a chronicle, and opera, in the era of cinema and realistic theater, now tends to that experience as well.
Two Art "Deep Dives" for the Intrepid
As an alternative to the realistic and the symbolic, I propose poetic readings [for opera] as the most rewarding path…Unlike most narrative fiction, poetry possesses a natural aptitude for ambiguity; it’s looser, more associative, and more interested in poetical meanings that arise from familiar words being used in unfamiliar ways…Narrative fiction is inclined to adhere closer to the experience of a chronicle, and opera, in the era of cinema and realistic theater, now tends to that experience as well.