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'A History Of Opera'

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Tenor John Tessier as Count Almaviva and Soprano Sarah Coburn as Rosina in Boston Lyric Opera’s "The Barber of Seville." (Eric Antoniou/Boston Lyric Opera)
Tenor John Tessier as Count Almaviva and Soprano Sarah Coburn as Rosina in Boston Lyric Opera’s 2012 production of "The Barber of Seville." (Eric Antoniou/Boston Lyric Opera)

Elmer and Bugs Bunny are everything that opera today is not. They're irreverent, funny and raucous. As wildly different as they may seem from the modern-day idea of opera, Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny might actually be more true to opera's origins than anything seen in opera houses today, whether you're an opera-goer in Boston or Milan.

Therein may lie opera's salvation, according to Harvard music professor Carolyn Abbate.

Guest:

  • Carolyn Abbate, music professor at Harvard University and co-author of "A History of Opera"

More:

This segment aired on January 2, 2013.

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