Abstract
This article considers the idea of contemporary fairy-tale opera, looking in particular at In the House of Crossed Desires (1996), composed by John Woolrich to a libretto by Marina Warner. At the heart of the genre lies a singular crossing of desires: the desire for transformation, expressed and enacted in the fairy tale, and the yearning that is voiced in the impassioned song of opera. Fairy-tale opera thus represents one version of opera's ongoing play with the dramatic crossing of words and music.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 171-182 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Contemporary Music Review |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |