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It is not surprising to find frequent references in the literature to the relationship between music and psychoanalysis, given that our emotional life is so closely associated from our earliest days with musical experiences, Freud's self-confessed indifference to music notwithstanding. Numerous articles are published about it, although books are sparse and are mostly edited collections of papers (e.g. Feder, Karmel and Pollock 1991 & 1993), with only a handful of exceptions (e.g. Nagel 2013; Kennedy 2020).
The multiple ways in which psychoanalysis intersects and interacts with music are undoubtedly fascinating, but they also remain difficult to grasp. These texts either suggest a reading of specific compositions from a psychoanalytic perspective by identifying a parallel between their formal structure and psychodynamic models of mental functioning; or they explore more generic theoretical aspects, such as the neuropsychological impact of music on its listeners; or attempt to attribute the significance of certain musical works to the personality or psychopathology of their composers. Classical compositions that contain a verbal text (such as operas, lieder or choral oratorios) are less abstract than purely musical works (such as symphonies, concertos or string quartets) and are the most common subjects of these psychoanalytic studies. Yet, as far as I know, there has never been a psychoanalytic book published in English that is exclusively focused on opera. The volume under review here, Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life, and Unconscious Aspects of Mind, is then a welcome first of its kind. It originated from, and was inspired by, a programme of events at the San Francisco Opera where Sunday matinée performances were followed by presentations and discussions with the audience - a programme (also named Opera on the Couch) in which psychoanalysts Steven H. Goldberg and Lee Rather, the two book editors, were actively involved.
In their comprehensive introductory ch