Recognition in Mozart's Operas

Since its beginnings, opera has depended on recognition as a central aspect of both plot and theme.

Though a standard feature of opera, recognition -- a moment of new awareness that brings about a crucial reversal in the action -- has been largely neglected in opera studies.

In Recognition in Mozart's Operas, musicologist Jessica Waldoff draws on a broad base of critical thought on recognition from Aristotle to Terence Cave to explore the essential role it plays in Mozart's operas.

The result is a fresh approach to the familiar question of opera as drama and a persuasive new reading of Mozart's operas.