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This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, one of the most important opera composers of all. He was both a radical and a conservative, dependent on whom you speak with. In his lifetime (1864-1949) were the Franco-Prussian War, the rise of Germany, and the First and Second World Wars. His music was both a reflection and a rejection of the outside world. He lived in a time of falling empires, the rise of Freudian thinking – from gilt to guilt. There are food elements too in operas such as Elektra (bad food), Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella. He is a big hitter and a divisive one, and 2014 is his year.

Fred Plotkin is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and has distinguished himself in many fields as a writer, speaker, consultant and as a compelling teacher. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.  Plotkin discovered the concept of ‘The Renaissance Man’ as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. His book, Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera is the best-selling standard text in America on the art form.  He has also written six books on Italian cuisine, including the renowned Italy for the Gourmet Traveller, the sixth edition of which will be published in March 2014.

This session forms part of a series presented by Oxford Gastronomica, Oxford Brookes University’s centre for food and cultural studies.

Presented by Oxford Gastronomica