Here's something you might be interested in.
When I wrote about Gaia versus Medea as models of motherhood I should have mentioned that this distinction was developed as an argument by a scientist named Peter Ward.
Ward holds that the Gaia Theory of the Earth as a sustainer of multicellular life (humans and whatnot) does not stand up to scrutiny since there have been multiple mass extinctions. For most of the Earth’s history life has been dominated by microbial life--microbial life which would rather have a carbon based atmosphere. In other words we’re helping the competition by putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
I got into the whole thing because I knew there is an opera based on Medea.
What of Medea the opera? The composer, Cherubini, is something of a “Salieri”. He wrote 21 operas--all of them forgettable.
Why do most of us know Medea? Maria Callas. She revived the piece by acting the crap out of the role in the 50’s and 60’s.
What interests me is this desolate span of about 20 to 25 years between The Magic Flute and Rossini. The only work of note I can find is Fidelio from 1805.
When I wrote about Gaia versus Medea as models of motherhood I should have mentioned that this distinction was developed as an argument by a scientist named Peter Ward.
Ward holds that the Gaia Theory of the Earth as a sustainer of multicellular life (humans and whatnot) does not stand up to scrutiny since there have been multiple mass extinctions. For most of the Earth’s history life has been dominated by microbial life--microbial life which would rather have a carbon based atmosphere. In other words we’re helping the competition by putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
I got into the whole thing because I knew there is an opera based on Medea.
What of Medea the opera? The composer, Cherubini, is something of a “Salieri”. He wrote 21 operas--all of them forgettable.
Why do most of us know Medea? Maria Callas. She revived the piece by acting the crap out of the role in the 50’s and 60’s.
What interests me is this desolate span of about 20 to 25 years between The Magic Flute and Rossini. The only work of note I can find is Fidelio from 1805.