Frank Hentschel: Ferruccio Busonis Doktor Faust: Eine „Oper, die keine Oper“ ist
Before its completion, Busoni once referred to one of his operas he was then composing, either Arlecchino or Doktor Faust, as an “opera (that won’t be an opera).” The article takes this phrase as a point of departure to gain insight into some of the aesthetic and poetic features of Doktor Faust. Rather than focusing on the history or theory of genre, attention is given to Busoni’s idea of opera, his dramaturgical intentions, his relationship to expressionism, and his use of independent forms.