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A New Philosophy of Opera
From “the most imaginative director in the US” (New York Times) comes this generational work with a vision for transforming opera into a powerhouse cultural phenomenon.
Visionary director Yuval Sharon has been celebrated as one of the world’s most innovative opera impresarios, yet he has never adhered to traditional form, observing that most operas “suffer the dull edge of routine in unimaginative and woefully under-rehearsed productions.” Sharon seeks to disrupt conventions by urging the performance of opera in “non-spaces” like parking lots; amplifying voices; and even performing classic works in reverse order. Surveying the role of opera in America and drawing on his experiences from Berlin to Los Angeles, Sharon lays out his vision for an “anti-elite opera,” which celebrates the imagination and challenges the status quo. Refusing to believe that opera is dying, Sharon maintains that opera has always existed in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Engaging and accessible, A New Philosophy of Opera, with its advocacy of opera as an “enchanted space” and its revolutionary message, promises to be one of the liveliest opera books in years.
Visionary director Yuval Sharon has been celebrated as one of the world’s most innovative opera impresarios, yet he has never adhered to traditional form, observing that most operas “suffer the dull edge of routine in unimaginative and woefully under-rehearsed productions.” Sharon seeks to disrupt conventions by urging the performance of opera in “non-spaces” like parking lots; amplifying voices; and even performing classic works in reverse order. Surveying the role of opera in America and drawing on his experiences from Berlin to Los Angeles, Sharon lays out his vision for an “anti-elite opera,” which celebrates the imagination and challenges the status quo. Refusing to believe that opera is dying, Sharon maintains that opera has always existed in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Engaging and accessible, A New Philosophy of Opera, with its advocacy of opera as an “enchanted space” and its revolutionary message, promises to be one of the liveliest opera books in years.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2024
34 people are currently reading
1540 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
2024
October 8, 2025Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Liveright
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Liveright
December 31, 2024
Yuval Sharon’s brilliant and necessary work comes as close as I’ve found to describing the essential characteristics of this perplexing art form.
September 14, 2025
Sharon’s book is very thoughtfully written. Clearly the author has spent a lot of time watching and thinking about opera and envisioning its possibilities. As a known figure in the opera world, he recounts productions where he was able to realize some of his ideas about how opera could be presented (such as performing La boheme with the order of the acts reversed).
On the surface, opera may seem at times ridiculous. Or, as the mood of the post-Covid times suggest, in the context of so many worthwhile projects designed to help humankind, opera is useless to society. But to Sharon, opera is not an ossified art form. He sees its inherent possibilities because opera can do things that no other stage form can do.
Sharon wants to think of opera as a verb. He envisions a process by which the not just the performers but all those involved in the creation of opera productions lead the audience through an exploration out of which they become richer. Through that exploration, the audience will gain a new understanding about themselves, their relationships, and their world around them. (Sharon doesn’t say explicitly, but after enumerating many problematic issues in society and the world, my assumption is that one’s new understanding can lead to making society a more just place.)
Part of me in very much in tune with this ethos. I always try to see what an artwork is about, understand its context and how it relates to me. At times an artwork can really expand one’s ideas and concept of the world.
My big issue with Sharon is that he clearly knows little about music. Sharon seems most happy/receptive to creating new works with new scores. It need not be said that such music is ephemeral and is wholly subservient to the work itself and probably not worth listening to more than few times.
Sharon would disagree, but I think at least 90% of people who like opera would say that opera is primarily a musical form. Although he provides a very cursory history of opera, he sees opera as a primarily theatrical form. The evolution of madrigal forms and the work of the Florentine Camerata in the late 16th century—where the tendency was to emphasize the words led people to the next step in musical composition: Creating potentially dramatic works in order to see how they would fare on the stage. Despite this "ideological" way of looking at history, I think the history of opera clearly shows that it is primarily a musical form. (Many operas are performed as concert works; opera librettos are almost never performed without the music because they can’t hold up; it is the music that is the binding agent for all aspects of opera.)
I find the author’s lack of understanding of how music works versus a narrative problematic. Sharon explains that a narrative, in the case of a stage play or story, should always leaves you in a different place (where you have presumably learned something or come to a new understanding). While plenty of music may seem to leave you in a new place, in fact, what produces musical closure is a return of initial ideas – be they themes, harmonies, sounds or other elements. Therein lies the paradox: narrative wants to move to a new place, while music wants to signal a return to the familiar (or at least its recognizable) elements.
Sharon points to the famous scene in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro where a secondary character, Barbarina, sings what many term a heart-breaking aria, L’ho perduta, about a lost pin. Superficially the situation sounds ridiculous, because who would worry about a pin that had been lost? With only four lines of text, what makes this aria so moving is the music behind it as well as its contrast with the most comic scenes in the opera (one can’t have comedy without tragedy). Sharon never mentions that it is the music that provides us with an emotional connection to this aria and the opera as a whole.
More problematic—actually, insulting—is Sharon’s put down of “traditional” opera fans who prize the musical performance, sometimes comparing it to past performances. Yes, sometimes this is conceited bragging which may seem egotistical. But having moved among many rabid opera fans for years, I know many of these people actually have very intelligent things to say, even if some of their verbiage comes out seemingly full of bluster. To someone who is not knowledgeable about about music, this kind of talk may appears as as a lot of unnecessary hot air. Therein lies Sharon’s obvious deficiency, since he can’t talk about music at all. For Sharon, opera only exists as a live performance whose primary aim is to challenge the audience. The thought that one might watch, or listen to an opera, or even an aria for musical enrichment seems far outside of Sharon’s definition of opera. But I suspect the vast majority of opera fans treasure the music. Sharon speaks of how some of his productions make an impression on people. But he rarely acknowledges that the music of Puccini and Wagner – even Mozart—can have the same effect, perhaps even more powerful than whatever staging any human could ever come up with.
This is a thoughtful book and Sharon has acknowledged the many people who assisted in his explorations (rather than a preliminary section of “acknowledgement” he has a final chapter, “Gratitude” in which he individually thanks all those who helped).
His ideas about stage works are very interesting and provocative. If he showed that he knew more about music, I might be convinced that he’s more than a lone figure in the operatic and musical world.
On the surface, opera may seem at times ridiculous. Or, as the mood of the post-Covid times suggest, in the context of so many worthwhile projects designed to help humankind, opera is useless to society. But to Sharon, opera is not an ossified art form. He sees its inherent possibilities because opera can do things that no other stage form can do.
Sharon wants to think of opera as a verb. He envisions a process by which the not just the performers but all those involved in the creation of opera productions lead the audience through an exploration out of which they become richer. Through that exploration, the audience will gain a new understanding about themselves, their relationships, and their world around them. (Sharon doesn’t say explicitly, but after enumerating many problematic issues in society and the world, my assumption is that one’s new understanding can lead to making society a more just place.)
Part of me in very much in tune with this ethos. I always try to see what an artwork is about, understand its context and how it relates to me. At times an artwork can really expand one’s ideas and concept of the world.
My big issue with Sharon is that he clearly knows little about music. Sharon seems most happy/receptive to creating new works with new scores. It need not be said that such music is ephemeral and is wholly subservient to the work itself and probably not worth listening to more than few times.
Sharon would disagree, but I think at least 90% of people who like opera would say that opera is primarily a musical form. Although he provides a very cursory history of opera, he sees opera as a primarily theatrical form. The evolution of madrigal forms and the work of the Florentine Camerata in the late 16th century—where the tendency was to emphasize the words led people to the next step in musical composition: Creating potentially dramatic works in order to see how they would fare on the stage. Despite this "ideological" way of looking at history, I think the history of opera clearly shows that it is primarily a musical form. (Many operas are performed as concert works; opera librettos are almost never performed without the music because they can’t hold up; it is the music that is the binding agent for all aspects of opera.)
I find the author’s lack of understanding of how music works versus a narrative problematic. Sharon explains that a narrative, in the case of a stage play or story, should always leaves you in a different place (where you have presumably learned something or come to a new understanding). While plenty of music may seem to leave you in a new place, in fact, what produces musical closure is a return of initial ideas – be they themes, harmonies, sounds or other elements. Therein lies the paradox: narrative wants to move to a new place, while music wants to signal a return to the familiar (or at least its recognizable) elements.
Sharon points to the famous scene in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro where a secondary character, Barbarina, sings what many term a heart-breaking aria, L’ho perduta, about a lost pin. Superficially the situation sounds ridiculous, because who would worry about a pin that had been lost? With only four lines of text, what makes this aria so moving is the music behind it as well as its contrast with the most comic scenes in the opera (one can’t have comedy without tragedy). Sharon never mentions that it is the music that provides us with an emotional connection to this aria and the opera as a whole.
More problematic—actually, insulting—is Sharon’s put down of “traditional” opera fans who prize the musical performance, sometimes comparing it to past performances. Yes, sometimes this is conceited bragging which may seem egotistical. But having moved among many rabid opera fans for years, I know many of these people actually have very intelligent things to say, even if some of their verbiage comes out seemingly full of bluster. To someone who is not knowledgeable about about music, this kind of talk may appears as as a lot of unnecessary hot air. Therein lies Sharon’s obvious deficiency, since he can’t talk about music at all. For Sharon, opera only exists as a live performance whose primary aim is to challenge the audience. The thought that one might watch, or listen to an opera, or even an aria for musical enrichment seems far outside of Sharon’s definition of opera. But I suspect the vast majority of opera fans treasure the music. Sharon speaks of how some of his productions make an impression on people. But he rarely acknowledges that the music of Puccini and Wagner – even Mozart—can have the same effect, perhaps even more powerful than whatever staging any human could ever come up with.
This is a thoughtful book and Sharon has acknowledged the many people who assisted in his explorations (rather than a preliminary section of “acknowledgement” he has a final chapter, “Gratitude” in which he individually thanks all those who helped).
His ideas about stage works are very interesting and provocative. If he showed that he knew more about music, I might be convinced that he’s more than a lone figure in the operatic and musical world.
November 29, 2024
Fascinating discussion of the possibilities of opera, backed up with Sharon's wide experience of treating opera as a new and renewable art, both in and out of the opera house.
June 30, 2025
My only experience with opera was an interactive version of Antigone in college, which was super cool. I also really wanted to see Orfeo and Eurydice when it was here a few months ago, but just kept putting it off, and now it’s gone. I was already disappointed that I missed it, but now I’m utterly heartbroken.
Sharon presents the concept of the opera, both as a work of art in and of itself and in context as an institution, in such a passionate and engrossing way, I really can’t imagine anyone disliking opera after reading. If you’re interested in storytelling in any form, this will be compelling to you! The book is also designed to instruct: Sharon wants to share his knowledge with readers, and so often that’s missing in nonfiction (when authors, unfortunately, seem only to want to impress you with how much they know). There’s beautiful pictures and a helpful timeline of the opera graphic throughout the book, not to mention an accompanying Spotify playlist so you can listen to the music referenced. I would and will strongly recommend this to pretty much everyone I know!
Sharon presents the concept of the opera, both as a work of art in and of itself and in context as an institution, in such a passionate and engrossing way, I really can’t imagine anyone disliking opera after reading. If you’re interested in storytelling in any form, this will be compelling to you! The book is also designed to instruct: Sharon wants to share his knowledge with readers, and so often that’s missing in nonfiction (when authors, unfortunately, seem only to want to impress you with how much they know). There’s beautiful pictures and a helpful timeline of the opera graphic throughout the book, not to mention an accompanying Spotify playlist so you can listen to the music referenced. I would and will strongly recommend this to pretty much everyone I know!
November 12, 2024
Yuval Sharon is one of the most innovative people working in opera and this book offers a historical and philosophical perspective on the art form alongside accounts of some of the productions that he has produced. I especially appreciate how clear eyed he is about opera being an elite art form and he offers ideas on how to counteract this reality and perception. Anyone in a leadership role in the arts should read this as he offers compelling ideas for how to attract larger audiences to opera and open up the art form to new audiences and make it more relevant.
January 22, 2025
Richard Jenkins described the phenomena, after years of boredom playing the same material to the same audiences in repertory theaer. An inspiration came, and he just gave up "acting" and instead started to "embody". A relevatory experience he connected beyond craft into something like art. It reminds me of Yuval Sharon's vision of opera in the 21st century - not recreation but creation.
An art form deeply unconventional, with litle utility, but boundless meaning. This is the promise of opera. A multidisciplinary art that blurs the lines of architecture, composition, narrative, symphony and costume design. Consider the delicacy of sounds. The vocal folds of a tenor. The graceful skill of a violinist or cello. The push and pull of composers, directors, vocalists, and the demanding audience. Sharon develops the argument for an opera of this century that challenges traditional norms of opera. He goes through the trappings that have stultified the art. From built-in prosceniums, to the non-amplifcation of voices, there is a purity to opera which has a beauty, and yet it carries rigidity. Opera was pushing the limits of possibility even in it's golden era of the ninteenth century. With the limited attention spans and deep bench of visual spectacle from movies and tiktok videos, can opera have anything left to say to the viewer today.
Richard Wagner's influence seeps int the story at multiple times. His genius for pushing the form to new levels of expression and control had a great influence on Sharon. The inititation story of seeing Parsifal at an opera house with father literally changed his life. He could not say precisely why his father took him to these operas - but it may have to do with the reasont underlying Sharon's pursuit. "The beauty of the act itself". It's a line he inserts into this book, but is originally from the brilliantly surreal French film "Holy Motors" by Leos Carax. Wagner's ambitions and soul-stirring operas feel beyond us even now. There are not the last work though. "My children! Create new things!" Wagner was to have said. Could a new movement in the 21st century be the balm for collective angst?
Sharon's intercuts stories of his own work. A visionary production of "La bohème" told backwards. A decision so revolutionary that a memember of his board quit, and claimed it was like hanging a Picassco painting upside down. Touching upon his other adaptations, such as "Invisible City" or the mindbending "Hopscotch", it is clear that Sharon is moving opera from the gilded houses of yesteryear to living sites. Remarkably, Sharon has moved the turgid art form into contemporary times without sacrificing the power of the medium. It is the vision, but also the described execution of the ideas that brings a vitality to these pages. In his converasation with the reader, Sharon lives up to his own code -never talking down to us, never reducing the vision, and never diminishing the power of art from it's directive. To give us insights into seeing the world differently.
At times, I wondered if Sharon was being too gentle on the reader. Maybe we are not unlike the opera benefactors, demaning the mirror of the theater or opera to validate us. These vainglorious times have made the expression of the self into a hall of mirrors. Behind phones and social media likes, we never have to venture for an experience that demands something of us. Perhaps, like the refernced work of Martin Buber, the heart of the cosmos is a divine relationship. We still look for stories in art - to tell us of ourselves and each other. The need to be seen, validated, respected, loved is on both sides of the stage. We have never been in greater need of rapturous communion with each other. Our ego-driven ideologies of greed and status are too small for what the work demands. Opera as we know it, can change, because of people like Sharon, who have opened the proverbial door - to all we have left to discover.
An art form deeply unconventional, with litle utility, but boundless meaning. This is the promise of opera. A multidisciplinary art that blurs the lines of architecture, composition, narrative, symphony and costume design. Consider the delicacy of sounds. The vocal folds of a tenor. The graceful skill of a violinist or cello. The push and pull of composers, directors, vocalists, and the demanding audience. Sharon develops the argument for an opera of this century that challenges traditional norms of opera. He goes through the trappings that have stultified the art. From built-in prosceniums, to the non-amplifcation of voices, there is a purity to opera which has a beauty, and yet it carries rigidity. Opera was pushing the limits of possibility even in it's golden era of the ninteenth century. With the limited attention spans and deep bench of visual spectacle from movies and tiktok videos, can opera have anything left to say to the viewer today.
Richard Wagner's influence seeps int the story at multiple times. His genius for pushing the form to new levels of expression and control had a great influence on Sharon. The inititation story of seeing Parsifal at an opera house with father literally changed his life. He could not say precisely why his father took him to these operas - but it may have to do with the reasont underlying Sharon's pursuit. "The beauty of the act itself". It's a line he inserts into this book, but is originally from the brilliantly surreal French film "Holy Motors" by Leos Carax. Wagner's ambitions and soul-stirring operas feel beyond us even now. There are not the last work though. "My children! Create new things!" Wagner was to have said. Could a new movement in the 21st century be the balm for collective angst?
Sharon's intercuts stories of his own work. A visionary production of "La bohème" told backwards. A decision so revolutionary that a memember of his board quit, and claimed it was like hanging a Picassco painting upside down. Touching upon his other adaptations, such as "Invisible City" or the mindbending "Hopscotch", it is clear that Sharon is moving opera from the gilded houses of yesteryear to living sites. Remarkably, Sharon has moved the turgid art form into contemporary times without sacrificing the power of the medium. It is the vision, but also the described execution of the ideas that brings a vitality to these pages. In his converasation with the reader, Sharon lives up to his own code -never talking down to us, never reducing the vision, and never diminishing the power of art from it's directive. To give us insights into seeing the world differently.
At times, I wondered if Sharon was being too gentle on the reader. Maybe we are not unlike the opera benefactors, demaning the mirror of the theater or opera to validate us. These vainglorious times have made the expression of the self into a hall of mirrors. Behind phones and social media likes, we never have to venture for an experience that demands something of us. Perhaps, like the refernced work of Martin Buber, the heart of the cosmos is a divine relationship. We still look for stories in art - to tell us of ourselves and each other. The need to be seen, validated, respected, loved is on both sides of the stage. We have never been in greater need of rapturous communion with each other. Our ego-driven ideologies of greed and status are too small for what the work demands. Opera as we know it, can change, because of people like Sharon, who have opened the proverbial door - to all we have left to discover.
June 12, 2024
I have been to the opera exactly twice in my life, once to see "Carmen" and once to see "Aida." Both times I was impressed, bored, confused. I simply don't understand opera.
So I was curious: how could "A New Philosophy of Opera" speak to me? Could I learn something that would inspire me to give opera another try?
The answer is, absolutely! Yuval Sharon tackles the inherent problems of opera (elitism, expense, complexity) and presents an engaging and intelligent approach. Whether you love, hate, or ignore opera, this book gives enough historical background, case studies, and examinations of "singing artists," composers, directors, staging, musicians, and economics to explode your (my) preconceived ideas and prejudices, and become excited about radical ideas and possibilities. Particularly fascinating are the stories about how Yuval Sharon's company presented "Hopscotch" as an interactive opera in moving cars through Los Angeles!
I received this pre-publication copy through a Goodreads giveaway and am grateful I did. "A New Philosophy of Opera" has inspired me to experience opera with a fresh perspective.
So I was curious: how could "A New Philosophy of Opera" speak to me? Could I learn something that would inspire me to give opera another try?
The answer is, absolutely! Yuval Sharon tackles the inherent problems of opera (elitism, expense, complexity) and presents an engaging and intelligent approach. Whether you love, hate, or ignore opera, this book gives enough historical background, case studies, and examinations of "singing artists," composers, directors, staging, musicians, and economics to explode your (my) preconceived ideas and prejudices, and become excited about radical ideas and possibilities. Particularly fascinating are the stories about how Yuval Sharon's company presented "Hopscotch" as an interactive opera in moving cars through Los Angeles!
I received this pre-publication copy through a Goodreads giveaway and am grateful I did. "A New Philosophy of Opera" has inspired me to experience opera with a fresh perspective.
January 12, 2026
I would argue that the words New and Philosophy could be up for debate, but as a book exploring various topics - such as elitism, economics of opera, modes of storytelling - this is a really good book. I did find the writting a bit waffling and self-indulgent, but in a reflective work such as this I didn't mind it too much. The author makes some interesting points and argues his points convincingly. Most importantly, the book provides observations from the point of view of a director - something I have not seen before. This way this book becomes a valuable contribution to an already not-small body of work about opera and opera making.
March 28, 2025
I went into this book with no knowledge of opera and left it with a curiosity of seeing and listening to a variety, (traditional and modern) of productions. Detroit Opera is extremely lucky to have Yuval Sharon! He is brilliant and innovative and I am grateful that he wrote this book, which gave me a small understanding of opera and its history. Now, onto my first performance!
October 12, 2024
The book provides a brilliant discourse on the history of opera, while at the same time offering a compelling way of rethinking the form. Fascinating, thoughtful and though provoking even for this non-opera person.
March 26, 2025
I was looking to learn more about opera and I really enjoyed how this book offered a look into the past and tradition while also looking to redefining what it can be. I also could feel the love and passion for the work as I read which was such a generous share
July 26, 2024
What fun to peek inside the brain of one of the most inventive directors working in contemporary performance. The Spotify playlist he made up for the book is also fantastic.
October 30, 2024
As a newcomer to the opera, this was a very accessible and informative book to help shape my perspective on the experience.
December 8, 2024
Incredible. Truly making opera accessible and irresistible. I see opera in a whole new way and can’t wait to see the next Yuval Sharon production through these eyes.
January 4, 2025
This book challenged me to think about opera for the future. I did not agree with everything the author said. But to keep this art going, he has asked important questions that need answers.
February 15, 2025
Could have easily been titled several other things; "why people don't like opera;" "how to approach opera if you were born after 1980" etc. Written for intelligent people who give a shit.
February 17, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley and W.W. Norton/Liveright for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was very interested in this book as I've been following The Industry for over 10 years and the career of Yuval Sharon. I so enjoyed it and through the years I've developed a better appreciation for productions that push the boundaries of tradition in music and performance. It was wonderful to learn a bit about his thought process and perspectives, and how the many inputs and experiences come together. The book goes very deep into opera, which was a bit more that I preferred, but the sum is a wonderful look at someone who is honoring his vision of the future of opera.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews