The author is a noted musicologist, performer, and writer, known for his book Wagner's Ring and Its Symbols, and for his reference work The Interpretation of Early Music. In this book, he discusses the workings of symbolism in opera and the importance of staging an opera in keeping with the composer's intentions. Only in this way, claims the author, can we be faithful to the conscious or unconscious symbolism invested in the work by the composer and librettist.