ABSTRACT
One means of tracing the fluctuating and discursive attitudes of European Orientalism in opera is to examine a particular narrative that has been used by several Western artists since the late eighteenth century. This chapter discusses four different versions of the Oberon story spanning two hundred years, beginning with Wieland's poem and ending with Burgess' libretto, with the ultimate objective of establishing continuity of European fascination with the Orient, while emphasizing historical changes that may have influenced each representation. Violence and sensuality are the corner stones of Wieland's setting. In his epic, Wieland paints Islam as a false religion while the Caliph of Baghdad and his Prince along are violent. Burgess' libretto has all the elements found in past Turkish operas, but now the violence, sensuality, hypocrisy, and irrationality of the Orient are situated within a modern setting, inspired by current political tensions.
