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As both an in-depth study of Mozart criticism and performance practice in Prague, and a history of how eighteenth-century opera was appropriated by later political movements and social groups, this book explores the reception of Mozart's operas in Prague between 1791 and the present and reveals the profound influence of politics on the construction of the Western musical canon. Tracing the links between performances of Mozart's operas and strategies that Bohemian musicians, critics, directors, musicologists, and politicians used to construct modern Czech and German identities, Nedbal explores the history of the canonization process from the perspective of a city that has often been regarded as peripheral to mainstream Western music history. Individual chapters focus on Czech and German adaptations of Mozart's operas for Prague's theaters, operatic criticism published in Prague's Czech and German journals, the work of Bohemian historians interpreting Mozart, and endeavours of cultural activists to construct monuments in recognition of the composer.
Runner-up, 2024 Radomir Luža Prize, German Studies Association
‘An original, seminal, inherently fascinating, and scholastically meticulous study … enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of lists for figures, tables, and musical examples.'
James A. Cox Source: Midwest Book Review
‘… Cheng’s book provides a valuable and politically sophisticated contribution to democratic theory on how to manage difference and disagreement. His role-based approach presents an extremely promising path that remains underused in democratic theory. Hanging Together illustrates the great dividends that this approach can yield in addressing some of democracy’s most dire challenges.’
Kevin J. Elliott Source: Perspectives on Politics
‘Fascinating.'
Larry Wolff Source: Times Literary Supplement
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