"Rock opera": the question of formation and development of the genre

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to study the genesis of the rock opera as a genre, historical aspect of this spectacular-entertaining form, definition of genre features of rock opera, and stylistic and artistic peculiarities of certain  iconic rock performances and their impact on the audience, in particular, the contemporary Ukrainian rock opera "White Crow". The methodology consists in the application of analytical, functional, comparative, art criticism, and systematic methods of research of rock opera as one of the spectacular-entertaining forms, its origins and meanings in the modern theatrical space. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that it asserts that the dominanting idea of the post-modernist contemporaneity is "showcentrism", the emphasis of the interest on the musical and theatrical genres, because the structure of the audience's artistic needs has shifted towards spectacular arts, in particular such genre as rock opera. Conclusions. Rock opera is a synthetic art, born thanks to a mix of theater and pop music based on a song. Rock is not just a musical movement, it is a youth culture, a means of communication among young people, the obligatory participation of technology in the process of creation and implementation of the work forms a "new self-value type of aesthetic experience". Use of electronic instruments of rock music transforms rock opera into one of the most spectacular and most widespread popular stage genres, especially among young people; despite the genre proximity of the rock opera and the musical, there is a significant difference between them revealed in the peculiarities of the stylistic attributes of these genres; the further evolution of rock opera was taking place, on the one hand, through theatrical pop performances created by the rock collectives themselves, and on the other hand, through the creation of performances for musical theaters.