(Lezo, 1961)
Professor of Ontology and Philosophy of Music at the University of the Basque Country. Doctor of Philosophy from the Valencia Polytechnic University (UPV). Conductor of the San Sebastian Baroque Ensemble. Musical Director of Concerto Donostiarra. Member of the technical office of the Orfeón Donostiarra. Translator of Aristotle and Hegel.
“The Monteverdi Crossroads: The birth of the modern opera”
In chapter 19 of The Birth of Tragedy, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche launches, for those unfamiliar with the young philosopher’s early writings, a fierce attack on the birth of modern opera by the members of the Florentine Camerata. According to the German philosopher, the spirit in which the reform of music that led to the seconda pratica or second practice was carried out was an extra-artistic spirit. In the midst of this decisive moment in the history of music is Claudio Monteverdi. The onus is on him. Can it be said of Monteverdi that he composed in an extra-artistic spirit? To what extent is the Nietzschean critique fair?