A major anthology on opera edited by leading specialists in the field.

The title is inspired by the epic drama The Last Days of Mankind by Karl Kraus. Published in full in 1922, the author ridicules the interconnected ills of modernity that he saw as fueling the war machine: nationalism, capitalism, unbridled technology, militarism, journalistic unscrupulousness as well as the Viennese cultural scene at the time; it bears chilling parallels to our world in 2020. The goal of the planned anthology, which will include 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 will include opera professionals: singers, directors, conductors as well as creative minds from other domains who can bring new input: philosophers, artists, film directors and actors.

The book will feature an iconography of original works by famous artists in particular those of the renowned stage designer Richard Peduzzi.

Languages: English and German

About the Authors

Christian Kircher is Executive Director of Bundestheater-Holding GmbH in Vienna.

Gert Korentschnig is an opera critic (Wiener Kurier).

Denise Wendel-Poray, writer, critic and former opera singer, is the author of several books and essays concerning the relationship between art, theatre, and music. She recently published Painting the Stage (Skira,2019)