L’opera allo specchio: Calzabigi e Gassmann tra parodia e militanza estetica

Abstract

"L'opera seria" by Ranieri Calzabigi and Florian Leopold Gassman is a complex metatheatrical work in which the world of opera is ironically described in its customs, extravagances and excesses. The essay highlights the different levels of parody in its text and music, and shows the intertextual connection of the third act with Metastasio's "Adriano in Siria.