The Last Days of the Opera

In his epic drama The Last Days of Mankind, written in 1922, the Viennese critic and satirist Karl Kraus ridiculed the interconnected ills of modernity that he saw as fueling the war machine: nationalism, capitalism, unbridled technological change and advancing militarism. The text bears chilling parallels to our world in 2020. The aim of this anthology, named after Kraus, and which comprises some 100 essays, is to consider the relevance of opera in today’s dystopian world, and to look to possible developments in the genre in the foreseeable future. The writers include opera professionals-singers, directors and conductors-as well as philosophers, artists, film directors and actors. The book also features works by artists such as the renowned stage designer Richard Peduzzi.