The darkness of death,

dreams of death.

No, that's not the Brian Lyrishol theme, obviously.

It's Beethoven music from the only opera he ever wrote.

But here's the thing.

The main lyric from that scene are the first words in a new

book called Republic of Love, Opera and Political Freedom by University of Chicago Law and Ethics

Professor Martha C. Nussbaum. The words from Fidelio that we were hearing, or at least that are in

that movement, as translated into English,

are, oh, what a delight to draw breath in free air. Only here only is life. I'll read it again.

Oh, what a delight to draw breath in free air. Only here, only is life. The context is that Beethoven was writing about

imprisonment, the conditions of incarceration, relevant 200 years ago, and of course relevant today,

the characters who sing that section are called the Prisoner's Chorus. Oh, what a delight to draw a breath in free air.

So whether Timothy Salome is right or wrong that hardly anyone cares about opera or ballet anymore,

Professor Nussbaum has this compelling new book about opera's relevance to political freedom.

We will also sample clips from Mozart and John Adams' operas as we go.

University of Chicago law and ethics professor, Martha C. Nisbaum,

has written many other books that touch politics and philosophy

with titles like The Fragility of Goodness,

and one she was on the show for a few years ago called

The Monarchy of Fear, a philosopher looks at our political crisis.

Now she's back for Republic of Love, Opera, and Political Freedom.

...