Opera Books
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc The Marriage Of Figaro (Book And CDs): The
Book SynopsisThe Black Dog Opera Library is the best, easiest and most informative and budget-friendly way to enjoy four of the greatest operas of all time. Finally available again, and packaged with gorgeous new covers, each book in the library includes the complete opera on 2 CDs, featuring world-class performances and orchestras; the complete libretto, plus its English translation; an exciting history of the opera; a biography of the composer; a synopsis of the story, broken down by act and scene; and dozens of photographs and drawings depicting performances, singers, sets, costumes, and more.The Marriage of Figaro features Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Heather Harper, Judith Blegen, Geraint Evans, Teresa Berganza, and Birgit Finnil?, with Daniel Barenboim conducting the English Chamber Orchestra.Also available:La Boh?me featuring Nicolai Gedda and Mirella Freni, with Thomas Schippers conducting the Orchestro e Coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma;?Carmen featuring Grace Bumbry, Jon Vickers, Mirella Freni, and Kostas Paskalis, with Rafael Fru?beck de Burgos conducting the Orchestra of the Th??tre National de l'Op?ra. La Traviata featuring Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, and Rolando Panerai, with Aldo Ceccato conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.Listen. Enjoy. Learn.
£17.09
Quadrille Publishing Ltd The Knowledge Opera
Book SynopsisDennis Marks showcases this most thrilling of art forms with his knowledge of opera's history, structure and singers.
£9.50
Swedenborg Foundation Listening to Eternity
Book Synopsis
£19.00
Penguin Books Ltd The Ring of the Nibelung
Book SynopsisA superb new translation of one of the greatest nineteenth century poems: the libretto to Wagner''s Ring cycleThe scale and grandeur of Wagner''s The Ring of the Nibelung has no precedent and no successor. It preoccupied Wagner for much of his adult life and revolutionized the nature of opera, the orchestra, the demands on singers and on the audience itself. The four operas-The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods - are complete worlds, conjuring up extraordinary mythological landscapes through sound as much as staging. Wagner wrote the entire libretto before embarking on the music. Discarding the grand choruses and bravura duets central to most operas, he used the largest musical forces in the context often of only a handful of singers on stage. The words were essential: he was telling a story and making an argument in a way that required absolute attention to what was said. The libretto for The Ring lies at the heart of nineteenth century culture. It is in itself a work of power and grandeur and it had an incalculable effect on European and specifically German culture. John Deathridge''s superb new translation, with notes and a fascinating introduction, is essential for anyone who wishes to get to grips with one of the great musical experiences.Trade ReviewNow comes the new translation by John Deathridge, doyen of English-speaking Wagner scholars, with a grasp of his life and writings that may never have been equalled. [...] In that noble enterprise he seems to me to be entirely successful. [...] 'Awesome' is a word I detest, but how else can one describe that? Beautifully presented and authoritative, which can only [...] cast light on this inexhaustible masterwork. -- Michael Tanner * Spectator *The Ring provides a meticulous study of the psychology of politics and power[...] Hugely illuminating [...] Deathridge's translation, flexibly and vividly conceived, shines a special light into the literary and psychological depths of the Ring. -- Benjamin Poore * Asymptote Journal *For the past decade, Penguin has been producing handsome hardcover versions of their classics [...] both elegant and quirky in shocks of bright color * The New York Times *
£22.50
Faber & Faber The Moderate Soprano Faber Drama
Book SynopsisI want to give my country a model of perfection. My country needs cheering up. I'm the man to do it.A man of great passions, John Christie wooed his opera singer wife with a determination befitting a man who won the Military Cross at the Battle of Loos. Now, in 1934, this Etonian science teacher's admiration for the works of Wagner has led him to embark on the construction of an opera house on his Sussex estate. Then, by chance, he hears word of a group of refugees from Nazi Germany who may perhaps deliver his vision of the sublime assuming they're willing to cast his wife in the lead.David Hare's The Moderate Soprano tells the story of how Glyndebourne, this most English of institutions, derives its character firstly from a woman and secondly from an Austrian and two Germans. The play premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 2015, and opened at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, in April 2018. In the grand tradition of Bulgakov's Black Snow,
£10.44
Faber & Faber Schuberts Winter Journey Anatomy of an Obsession
Book SynopsisFranz Schubert''s Winterreise is at the same time one of the most powerful and one of the most enigmatic masterpieces in Western culture. In his new book, Schubert''s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession, Ian Bostridge - one of the work''s finest interpreters - focusses on the context, resonance and personal significance of a work which is possibly the greatest landmark in the history of Lieder. Drawing equally on his vast experience of performing this work (he has performed it more than a hundred times), on his musical knowledge and on his training as a scholar, Bostridge unpicks the enigmas and subtle meaning of each of the twenty-four songs to explore for us the world Schubert inhabited, bringing the work and its world alive for connoisseurs and new listeners alike. Originally intended to be sung to an intimate gathering, performances ofWinterreise now pack the greatest concert halls around the world. Though not strictly a biography of Schubert,
£17.00
The University of Chicago Press Puccini
Book SynopsisPuccini's operas are among the most popular and widely performed in the world, yet few books have examined his body of work from an analytical perspective. This volume remedies that lack in lively prose accessible to scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.Trade Review"A serious, long-overdue analysis of all of Puccini's great operas, filled with fascinating detail." - Reed Woodhouse, Boston Book Review "Girardi takes us through the operas, act by act, showing us how cleverly they're put together, and how thoroughly they are conversant not just with Wagner but also Berg, Schoenberg, Mahler, Stravinsky, Strauss, Debussy and others.... We also get a sampling of Puccini's correspondence, and the discreetest possible hint of the amorous embarrassments that he was forever getting involved in." - Jerry Fodor, London Review of Books "The most comprehensive Puccini study to date.... A major accomplishment, this book adds new dimensions to Puccini research and formal criticism." - Choice "It is high time for a biography worthy of Puccini, and that is what Michele Girardi has given us.... This is likely to remain definitive for a long time." - Richard Freed, Washington Post Book World
£52.25
Picador USA Seeing Through
Book Synopsis
£16.80
Prestel Opera Meets New Media
Book Synopsis
£21.25
Edition Peters Practical Method High Voice and Piano
Book SynopsisVaccai''s Metodo Pratico (Practical Method) for High Voice focuses on the art of the Italian language in performance. This advanced guide discusses different styles of singing and how to grasp the language inperformance. The German singing translation has been provided by John Bernhoff. Lyrics are therefore presented in Italian and German, and the all commentaries and notes are provided in English, French and German.Metodo Pratico di Canto Italiano für Gesang und Klavier (Hohe Stimme)Der Komponist und Sänger Nicola Vaccai machte es sich zur Aufgabe, die Übungen, die jeder Schüler anfangs zur Stimmbildung machen sollte, ansprechender zu gestalten. Deshalb schrieb er kurze Stücke, jedes mit einem eigenen Zweck und mit Text unterlegt. Für den deutschen Leser fügte John Bernhoff Übersetzungen davon hinzu, Vaccai selbst empfiehlt aber, Verse von Metastasio auf die seine Melodien zu singen. Zusätzlich gibt er nützliche Tipps und Erläuterungen, die einen
£11.35
HarperCollins Publishers Sing Me Forgotten Tiktok made me buy it A
Book SynopsisLush and lavish, Sing Me Forgotten hit all the right notes'Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and SorrowA deliciously magical feminist twist on the beloved classic The Phantom of the Opera'Kester Grant, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Court of MiraclesIsda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house''s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales highand that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.But Isda breaks Cyril''s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she''s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finTrade Review‘In a world where memories hold magic, music has the power to wield it. Lush and lavish, Sing Me Forgotten hit all the right notes. Olson handled Isda's descent into darkness with a deft hand. Fans of The Phantom of the Opera will cheer!’ Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows ‘Enchanting, lush, and decadent, Sing Me Forgotten had me absolutely spellbound. Olson's delivered a captivating debut that's sure to please fans of magic, romance, and ambitious heroines. This book had me up well into the night, desperate to know what would happen next.’ Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth ‘A lush mysterious adventure. A girl with a terrible secret. A deliciously magical feminist twist on the beloved classic The Phantom of the Opera. Court of Miracles fans will adore this!’ Kester Grant, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Court of Miracles ‘Absorbing . . . a gender-swapped twist on The Phantom of the Opera . . . fast-paced, action packed’ School Library Journal
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd A History of Opera The Last Four Hundred Years
Book SynopsisAbbate and Parker''s A History of Opera is the first full new history of opera in sixty years - now in paperback in an updated second edition''The best single volume ever written on the subject'' The Times Literary SupplementWhy has opera transfixed and fascinated audiences for centuries? Carolyn Abbate and Roger Parker answer this question in their scrupulous and provocative retelling of the history of opera, examining its development, the means by which it communicates, and its societal role. In a new revision with an expanded examination of opera as an institution in the twenty-first century this book explores the tensions that have sustained opera over 400 years: between words and music, character and singer, inattention and absorption. Abbate and Parker argue that, though the genre''s most popular and enduring works were almost all written in a distant European past, opera continues to transform the viewer with its enduring power.
£17.09
Artists Bookworks Victory Over the Sun
Book Synopsis
£25.60
Drawn and Quarterly Omnis Temporalis
Book SynopsisThe musical adaptation of Seth's George Sprott, captured on vinyl and packaged by the cartoonist himself!Something strange happens when you pass your work along to another artist for interpretation. It goes away a relative and comes back a stranger. Lines of dialogue I had written in my graphic novel, now spoken or sung by actors, were odd and moving. I could suddenly recognize from what wellspring of emotion they had originated in me. A truly moving experience. SethSeth's acclaimed graphic novel George Sprott has now inspired a modern opera by the artistic director and musician Mark Haney. Captured on a classic vinyl record with a sumptuous, over-the-top design by Seth, Omnis Temporalis: A Visual Long-Playing Record is part chamber music, part song cycle, and part audio drama. Haney's unique project builds on Seth''s original picture novella while standing alone as a musical triumph.Omnis Temporalis remixes elements of Seth
£41.09
Renard Press Ltd Do I Bark Like a Dog
Book SynopsisExploring his colourful, rich and often dramatic life in London and summers spent in southern Italy among his large extended family, Do I Bark Like a Dog? considers the roots of Volpe's identity. Delving into family secrets and lies, he discovers how extraordinary events filtered through time to propel his unlikely but successful career in opera.
£12.34
The Crowood Press Ltd Mario Lanza
Book SynopsisMario Lanza: A Life in Pictures is a stunning collection of photographs and illustrations that captures the fabulous and tumultuous times of the greatest romantic tenor of the twentieth century. Compiled by acclaimed Lanza biographer Derek Mannering and drawing on exclusive photographs from the tenor''s closest friend, Terry Robinson, the book offers an unrivalled pictorial history of the tenor''s extraordinary life and career, from his childhood in Philadelphia, his first tentative steps towards a career in opera, the unexpected about-turn that led to his glory days in Hollywood, and on to his sudden and tragic death in Rome in 1959. Complementing the rare photographs is Derek Mannering''s authoritative and compelling narrative together with personal comments by Terry Robinson throughout. The book concludes with an afterword by Mario Lanza''s daughter, Ellisa Lanza Bregman. Few careers in show business have been as colourful or as controversial as Mario Lanza''s. Groomed for a profess
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd The Ring of the Nibelung
Book SynopsisA superb new translation of one of the greatest nineteenth century poems: the libretto to Wagner’s Ring Cycle, in a Penguin Classics hardcover designed by Coralie Bickford-SmithThe scale and grandeur of Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung has no precedent and no successor. It preoccupied Wagner for much of his adult life and revolutionized the nature of opera, the orchestra, the demands on singers and on the audience itself. The four operas—The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried, and Twilight of the Gods—are complete worlds, conjuring up extraordinary mythological landscapes through sound as much as staging. Wagner wrote the entire libretto before embarking on the music. Discarding the grand choruses and bravura duets central to most operas, he used the largest musical forces in the context often of only a handful of singers on stage. The words were essential: he was telling a story and making an argument in a way Trade ReviewNow comes the new translation by John Deathridge, doyen of English-speaking Wagner scholars, with a grasp of his life and writings that may never have been equalled. [...] In that noble enterprise he seems to me to be entirely successful. [...] 'Awesome' is a word I detest, but how else can one describe that? Beautifully presented and authoritative, which can only [...] cast light on this inexhaustible masterwork. -- Michael Tanner * Spectator *The Ring provides a meticulous study of the psychology of politics and power[...] Hugely illuminating [...] Deathridge's translation, flexibly and vividly conceived, shines a special light into the literary and psychological depths of the Ring. -- Benjamin Poore * Asymptote Journal *
£14.24
Faber & Faber The Faber Pocket Guide to Opera New Edition Faber
Book SynopsisThis new edition of leading opera critic Rupert Christiansen''s perennially popular Pocket Guide has between extensively revised, and incorporates many more operas from all periods, including recent works by Philip Glass, Mark Anthony Turnage, Thomas Adès and George Benjamin. Whether you are a first-timer at La Boheme or a seasoned Wagnerian, every opera-goer can benefit from a little background information, and this book aims to provide just that. Accessible and easy-to-use, it contains entries for over a hundred works, both familiar and unfamiliar.
£10.44
Faber Music Ltd Bert Weedons Pick a Chord
Book SynopsisPick A Chord follows the ethos of Weedon's hugely influential Play In A Day book and DVD, giving guitarists the tools needed to start playing from day one. An essential chord dictionary that every guitarist should have in their gigbag, it contains basic major/minor chords for the beginner through to extended/jazz chords for the advanced player.
£9.30
Ragueneau Press The Tenor A Cultural History
Book SynopsisThrough extensive research and detailed musical analysis, Matthew Boyden traces for the first time the profound influence of religion, architecture, socio-economics, politics, technology and taste on the sound, technique and perception of the tenor as a cultural and musical phenomenon.
£22.50
Nonsuch Publishing Kathleen: The Life of Kathleen Ferrier 1912-1953
Book SynopsisKathleen Ferrier has a reputation as the greatest lyric contralto of the twentiety century. Her story, from her humble beginnings as a telephone operator in Blackburn to the height of international fame as one of the world's leading concert artists and her untimely death at the age of forty-one, is told told with compelling insight and perception, using a variety of sources, from photographs, diaries, and private letters to the memoirs and recollections of those who knew her best. Despite having no formal musical training, Kathleen worked with all the celebrated conductors of the time, and is remembered for her performances of music by Brahms, Schubert and Mahler, as well as a handful of operatic roles. Enlarging considerably on many alternative biographies, this excellent account captures the warmth, humour and charm of a figure whose astonishing life and career proved to be, sadly, all too brief.
£14.39
Alma Books Ltd Parsifal
Book SynopsisFrom its conception in 1857 to its first performances in 1882, Parsifal represented the culmination of the themes that preoccupied Wagner during the latter part of his life.This guide includes a series of articles on Wagner's profound and complex opera, which the composer preferred to call a Bühnenweihfestspiel a Stage Consecration Festival Play'. Dieter Borchmeyer discusses the mythological foundations of Parsifal and its relation to Wagner's earlier works. Barry Emslie's thought-provoking piece explores the virtues of sin' in Wagner's last opera. Robin Holloway provides a study of Parsifal's musical motifs, followed by Carolyn Abbate's article, which examines the relation between music and drama in the opera. Gerd Rienäcker contributes an essay on the dramaturgy, and analyses some of the major scenes. Finally, Mike Ashman writes about Parsifal on the stage.The present edition contains a literal translation of the libretto opposite the original German text, a number of photographs covering a wide chronology to the present day, a comprehensive thematic guide, a bibliography and discography, as well as DVD and website guides. It will prove an essential companion for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Wagner's final masterpiece.English National Opera, based at the London Coliseum, is a creative and vibrant home for compelling, high quality theatrical productions created by imaginative stage directors and designers from across the arts, performed by leading British and international artists.
£10.80
The History Press Ltd Cast a Diva: The Hidden Life of Maria Callas
Book SynopsisMaria Callas (1923–77) was the greatest opera diva of all time. Despite a career that remains unmatched by any prima donna, much of her life was overshadowed by her fiery relationship with Aristotle Onassis, who broke her heart when he left her for Jacqueline Kennedy, and her legendary tantrums on and off the stage.However, little is known about the woman behind the diva. She was a girl brought up between New York and Greece, who was forced to sing by her emotionally abusive mother and who left her family behind in Greece for an international career. Feted by royalty and Hollywood stars, she fought sexism to rise to the top, but there was one thing she wanted but could not have – a happy private life.In Cast a Diva, bestselling author Lyndsy Spence draws on previously unseen documents to reveal the raw, tragic story of a true icon.Trade Review"Lyndsy Spence presents an in-depth and sympathetic picture of the woman behind the legend."
£15.29
Oxford University Press Inc Music of the Night
Book Synopsis
£25.99
Faber & Faber The Faber Pocket Guide to Wagner
Book SynopsisRichard Wagner remains, almost 130 years after his death, the most controversial composer in the history of music. Creator of huge and hugely ambitious operas, which have an immense immediate impact, as well as providing food for endless thought and discussion, Wagner has had an influence on many fields outside music. In this lively pocket guide, Michael Tanner gives concise accounts of all his operas - the likes of Parsifal, Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde - showing how important it is to grasp the dramatic situations at every point, and indicating some of the key musical features. He also provides an outline of Wagner''s astonishing life, and shows that he has often been unfairly criticised and made a scapegoat, especially for political events which took place long after his death.Key features include:- Wagner: his life year by year- Wagner: his music work by work- Things people said about Wagner- Essential Wagner: ten great moment
£10.44
Alma Books Ltd La Traviata
Book SynopsisLa Traviata' was Giuseppe Verdi's eighteenth opera and shows him at the height of his middle-period powers. Adapted from La Dame aux Camelias' by Alexandre Dumas fils, it portrays the love between the courtesan Violetta Valery and the young Alfredo Germont in fashionable Parisian society, with its inevitable tragic outcome. It had its premiere at La Fenice in Venice in 1853 and has gone on to become one of the most performed and greatly loved of all operas. There are articles in the guide about Verdi's preparations for the first performances, a musical commentary, an overview of the opera's social background and an examination of how the libretto was adapted from Dumas's play. Also included are a survey of important performances and performers, sixteen pages of illustrations, a musical thematic guide, the full libretto and English translation, a discography, bibliography and DVD and website guides.Trade ReviewFor anyone with a keen interest in opera, whatever their level of knowledge, this series remains a benchmark of quality and clarity. The content is serious, reliable and trustworthy, handsomely put together, full of variety and scholarship but always making the practical experience of going to the opera a priority. I return to these volumes again and again and find the updated and new issues absolutely invaluable. -- Fiona MaddocksThese guides, so beautiful to have and to behold, mark a huge advance on their predecessors. I find them essential supplements, not only to ENO and Royal Opera programmes, but to recordings issued on CD which often come without scholarly documentation and a libretto. The performance histories … are especially valuable, and not easily accessible elsewhere. -- Hugh CanningBeautifully produced and designed … they are terrific value. -- Rupert Christiansen * The Daily Telegraph *This uniformly excellent series is indispensable for the serious opera lover, all the more so now that almost all the CD companies have abandoned issuing a libretto with their opera releases, and have such scant background information. The English translations are on facing pages with the original texts, and in all respects the books are helpful and compact, and interestingly illustrated. -- Michael TannerNeat little volumes they are, handy for carrying around, clearly printed and well set-out, complete with libretto and translation, discography and a generous selection of illustrations. * Gramophone *I am delighted to see the return of the ENO Opera Guides, bigger and even more authoritative than before. There are authoritative new articles as well as several of the irreplaceable originals, the presentation is very handsome and a decided gain is the brilliantly chosen selection of production images, in colour as well as black and white. The Guides are an invaluable reference for opera lovers at any level. -- David NiceThis sturdy paperback is another recent instalment in the increasingly indispensable series of Overture Opera Guides * BBC Music Magazine *For everything you need to know, concisely packaged. * The Telegraph *
£11.40
Hodder & Stoughton Encore
Book Synopsis Told he would never sing again, now he''s back for his Encore.''A unique story - told from the heart, with humour and warmth''. Aled Jones''An emotional read - his personal story is more powerful than that high note in Nessun Dorma''. Vernon KayRussell Watson was at the peak of his success as a much-loved classical singer. He had gone from humble beginnings, working in a factory making nuts and bolts in Salford to singing in working men''s clubs to performing to stadiums filled with thousands of fans. But then tragedy struck. In 2006 and 2007 he was diagnosed with two brain tumours. In the subsequent years he battled crippling treatment, lifesaving operations, HRT therapy and mental health struggles. Doctors told him he would never sing in the same way again. Russell was determined to defy the odds and fight his way back - not only to recovery but also to finding his voice again. Now he is singing b
£18.70
McFarland & Co Inc Voices of Opera 1950s1970s
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£38.84
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Maria Callass Lyric and Coloratura Arias
Book SynopsisMore than 40 years after her death, the legend of Maria Callas, La Divina Assoluta, remains unsurpassed. Much has been written about her sensational opera career and fraught private life, from her definitive mastery of iconic opera roles to her love affairs and tantrums. The prototype for the 20th century celebrity diva, Callas emblematizes the cliche of tormented talent genius in the ring with catastrophe. Her extraordinary voice, in particular, has become an object of cult-like adoration and cultural significance almost with a life of its own: as fetish object, as sophisticated sonic signifier, and most recently, as the lifeblood for a Callas hologram. Such adoration is not without consequences. When Callas is transformed into a vessel for such transcendent magic, it overshadows what is perhaps her most superhuman ability the masterful technique she deployed to shape and craft her astounding instrument. Singing bodies are working bodies, enacting an intimate and complex form of artTrade ReviewEven if you’ve never heard of the 1954 Maria Callas album, even if you neither know nor care about her or opera, this book is entrancing. * Los Angeles Review of Books *Table of ContentsList of Figures Author’s Note 1. Cilea, Adriana Lecouvreur, Act I: Io son l’umile ancella [I am the humble servant of the creative spirit] 2. Cilea, Adriana Lecouvreur, Act IV: Poveri Fiori [Poor flowers] 3. Giordano, Andrea Chénier, Act III: La mamma morta [Mother is dead] 4. Catalani, La Wally, Act I: Ebben? Ne andrò lontana [Well? Then I’ll go away] 5. Boito, Mephistophele, Act III: L’altra notte in fondo al mare [The other night, in the depths of the ocean] 6. Rossini, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Act I: Una voce poco fa [A voice just now] 7. Meyerbeer, Le Pardon de Ploërmel, ou Dinorah, Act II: Ombra leggera [The Shadow Song] 8. Delibes, Lakmé, Act II: Dov’è l’indiana bruna [The Bell Song] Acknowledgments Appendix: Aria Texts and Translations Bibliography
£9.49
Stanford University Press The Shadow of the Empress: Fairy-Tale Opera and
Book SynopsisA beguiling exploration of the last Habsburg monarchs' grip on Europe's historical and cultural imagination. In 1919 the last Habsburg rulers, Emperor Karl and Empress Zita, left Austria, going into exile. That same year, the fairy-tale opera Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow), featuring a mythological emperor and empress, premiered at the Vienna Opera. Viennese poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal and German composer Richard Strauss created Die Frau ohne Schatten through the bitter years of World War I, imagining it would triumphantly appear after the victory of the German and Habsburg empires. Instead, the premiere came in the aftermath of catastrophic defeat. The Shadow of the Empress: Fairy-Tale Opera and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy explores how the changing circumstances of politics and society transformed their opera and its cultural meanings before, during, and after the First World War. Strauss and Hofmannsthal turned emperors and empresses into fantastic fairy-tale characters; meanwhile, following the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy after the war, their real-life counterparts, removed from political life in Europe, began to be regarded as anachronistic, semi-mythological figures. Reflecting on the seismic cultural shifts that rocked post-imperial Europe, Larry Wolff follows the story of Karl and Zita after the loss of their thrones. Karl died in 1922, but Zita lived through the rise of Nazism, World War II, and the Cold War. By her death in 1989, she had herself become a fairy-tale figure, a totem of imperial nostalgia. Wolff weaves together the story of the opera's composition and performance; the end of the Habsburg monarchy; and his own family's life in and exile from Central Europe, providing a rich new understanding of Europe's cataclysmic twentieth century, and our contemporary relationship to it.Trade Review"In Larry Wolff's brilliant telling, an opera's fairy-tale empress and a real-life Habsburg empress come to embody the phantom political culture of an empire that to this day maintains a powerful hold over Central and Eastern European institutions and imagination."—Pieter M. Judson, author of The Habsburg Empire: A New History"This alluring and original work of history explores the parallel lives of a twentieth century opera, the twilight of the Habsburg Empire, and its last emperor and empress. Politics is woven into the opera's creation and its later life. In this brilliant book, art imitates life, and life art, through mirror images, shadows and the unexpected destinies of historic personages."—Leon Botstein, Bard College"Larry Wolff's dual biography of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's fictional empress (The Woman without a Shadow, premiered in 1919) and the last Habsburg empress Zita, who lived until 1989, is a silver rose of a book—a brilliant account of an imperfect operatic masterpiece, its allegorical investments, and its call for the repopulation and humanization of Europe in the wake of World War I."—Michael P. Steinberg, author of The Afterlife of MosesTable of ContentsIntroduction: Pulling Roots 1. Giving Language Time 2. The Transported Word: Wheatley's Part 3. Voices of the Ground: Blake's Language in Deep Time 4. Radical Diversions: Wordsworth's Overgrowth 5. The Primitive Today: Thoreau in the Wild Conclusion: Deracination
£19.79
Hal Leonard Europe Limited Introduction To Opera
Book Synopsis
£13.29
Elliott & Thompson Limited Verdi: The Man Revealed
Book SynopsisGiuseppe Verdi remains the greatest operatic composer that Italy, the home of opera, has ever produced. Yet throughout his lifetime he claimed to detest composing and repeatedly rejected it. He was a landowner, a farmer, a politician and symbol of Italian independence; but his music tells a different story.; An obsessive perfectionist, Verdi drove collaborators to despair but his works were rightly lauded from the start as dazzling feats of composition and characterisation. From Rigoletto to Otello, La Traviatato to Aida, Verdi's canon encompassed the full range of human emotion. His private life was no less complex: he suffered great loss, and went out of his way to antagonise many erstwhile supporters, including his own family. An outspoken advocate of Italian independence and a sharp critic of the church, he was o en at odds with nineteenth-century society and paid the price.; In Verdi: The Man Revealed, John Suchet attempts to get under the skin of perhaps the most private composer who ever lived. Unpicking his protestations, his deliberate embellishments and disingenuous disavowals, Suchet reveals the contradictory and sometimes curmudgeonly character of this great artist, convicted throughout much of his life but ultimately unable to walk away from the art for which he will be forever known.Table of ContentsContents; 1; Confused Beginnings ...1; 2; A Father and His Daughter ...13; 3; `He Is a Rude, Uncivil Scoundrel' ...21; 4; Intolerable Losses ...33; 5; Another Loss and a Fiasco ...43; 6; `Little By Little the Opera Was Composed' ...51; 7; The Galley Years ...61; 8; `Signor Maestro' ...71; 9; Verdi, Man of Property ...81; 10; Queen Victoria Is Not Amused ...91; 11; `The Hour of Liberation Has Sounded' ...101; 12; Verdi Sets Tongues Wagging ...111; 13; The Opera Is `Repugnant, Immoral, Obscene' ...121; 14; A Rift in the Verdi Family ...131; 15; A Question of Identity ...139; 16; `Without You, I Am a Body Without a Soul' ...147; 17; The Bear of Busseto ...157; 18; Verdi, Gentleman Farmer ...165; 19; `Verdi Is My Tyrant' ...175; 20; A Wedding At Last ...183; 21; A Soprano Impresses Verdi ...193; 22; `I Am an Almost Perfect Wagnerian' ...203; 23; An Opera for Cairo ...213; 24; `The All-Powerful Corruptor of Italian Artistic Taste' ...223; 25; Scandal and Comedy ...233; 26; `One Button More, One Button Less' ...243; Afterword ...255; Notes ...267; Bibliography ...270; Index ...272
£20.00
Troubador Publishing Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World
Book SynopsisSince the first performance of the first opera in 1600, operas have been telling stories from myth and history. This book - beginning with the Creation and ending in the present day - is a chronology of myth and history as told in opera. Over 260 paintings and photographs, most in colour, accompany the narrative. Why were particular myths and historical events important at particular times? Why were the same myths and historical events told in radically different ways? In seeking answers to these questions, this book charts how the modern West migrated from autocracy towards liberal democracy, from theocratic absolutism towards tolerant pluralism, from sexism towards gender equality. It traces growing scepticism about religiously inspired warfare and colonial empire building. Unlike anything previously published, this is a book for lovers of history and the arts, and for anyone interested in how the western world of today came into being. By exploring a bewitchingly beautiful art form, it chronicles a sequence of extraordinary transformations: the political, religious and social revolutions that created the modern West.
£24.00
Troubador Publishing Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World
Book SynopsisSince the first performance of the first opera in 1600, operas have been telling stories from myth and history. This book - beginning with the Creation and ending in the present day - is a chronology of myth and history as told in opera. Over 260 paintings and photographs, most in colour, accompany the narrative. Why were particular myths and historical events important at particular times? Why were the same myths and historical events told in radically different ways? In seeking answers to these questions, this book charts how the modern West migrated from autocracy towards liberal democracy, from theocratic absolutism towards tolerant pluralism, from sexism towards gender equality. It traces growing scepticism about religiously inspired warfare and colonial empire building. Unlike anything previously published, this is a book for lovers of history and the arts, and for anyone interested in how the western world of today came into being. By exploring a bewitchingly beautiful art form, it chronicles a sequence of extraordinary transformations: the political, religious and social revolutions that created the modern West.
£32.00
Atlantic Books Nellie: The Life and Loves of a Diva
Book Synopsis'In this highly readable biography of Nellie Melba...Robert Wainwright tells the story of the girl with the incredible voice who, by sheer force of her personality and power of her decibels, took the operatic world by storm and managed to escape from her violent husband' Ysenda Maxtone Graham, DAILY MAILNellie Melba is remembered as a squarish, late middle-aged woman dressed in furs and large hats, an imperious Dame whose voice ruled the world for three decades and inspired a peach and raspberry dessert. But to succeed, she had to battle social expectations and misogyny that would have preferred she stay a housewife in outback Queensland rather than parade herself on stage. She endured the violence of a bad marriage, was denied by scandal a true love with the would-be King of France, and suffered for more than a decade the loss of her only son - stolen by his angry, vengeful father. Despite these obstacles, she built and maintained a career as an opera singer and businesswoman on three continents which made her one of the first international superstars. Award-winning biographer Robert Wainwright presents a very different portrait of this great diva, one that celebrates both her musical contributions and her rich and colourful personal life.Trade ReviewIn this highly readable biography of Nellie Melba...Robert Wainwright tells the story of the girl with the incredible voice who, by sheer force of her personality and power of her decibels, took the operatic world by storm and managed to escape from her violent husband -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Daily Mail *Jolly gossipy reading, easily digested * The Telegraph *Wainwright's delightfully revisionist biography of Dame Nellie Melba rescues her from fusty Victorianisms to analyse her struggles and resilience to overcome misogyny and social expectation in becoming one of history's greatest opera singers. * Waterstones.com *[A] rounded portrait...the Melba that emerges is not only a prodigious talent but a trailblazing, fiercely independent and determined woman. * Sydney Morning Herald *Most people know the outlines of the career of the legendary nineteenth-century diva Nellie Melba, but this biography offers new insights. What Melba went through to become the toast of the musical world is almost unbelievable to our twenty-first century eyes and how she handled it makes for remarkablereading -- Judging panel for the 2022 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award (longlisted title)Wainwright has a reporter's eye for the telling detail, and an ear for good copy...a racy tale, and briskly told. * The Australian, on NELLIE *A gem of a biography. * The Lady, on ENID *My jaw kept dropping as I devoured Robert Wainwright's wonderfully racy biography, full of comedy and tragedy and populated by some of the most dissolute and eccentric aristocrats of the 20th century. -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Daily Mail, on ENID *Enid's story is dazzling and uplifting, and she certainly lived up to her code: "Never be afraid, never be jealous, and never complain when you are ill." -- Christopher Silvester * Spears, on ENID *As social history Sheila Chisholm's life is fascinating... it's undeniably enjoyable to read of all that glitter and gold. -- Selina Hastings * Spectator, on SHEILA *Table of Contents1: Opposites attract 2: 'I must make some money' 3: 'You wait and see' 4: The audition 5: The house of women 6: The dress 7: Becoming Melba 8: 'You are the star' 9: Covent Garden 10: A doctrine of rivalry 11: 'An Australian girl' takes Paris 12: The devil who leaves 13: The patron 14: Taking a cold house by storm 15: Prince Gamelle 16: A diva meets a duc 17: To Russia with lust 18: Melba nights 19: 'I'll whip him and see what he's worth' 20: Crossing boundaries 21: Armstrong v Armstrong 22: A just dessert 23: Facing the music 24: Murphy's law 25: A resolute intent 26: The first singer in the world 27: A fall from grace 28: Of envious men 29: A Wagnerian tragedy 30: A Star-Spangled Banner 31: Divorce, Texas-style 32: Australia finally 33: The brutal Truth 34: 'I am five feet eleven inches' 35: The long farewell
£10.44
Alma Books Ltd Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)
Book SynopsisLe nozze di Figarois one of Mozart's best-loved and most enduring works. The first of the three operas he wrote with Lorenzo da Ponte and based on Beaumarchais's play, it established the thirty-year-old Mozart as an opera composer of the very first rank. Its combination of wit, acute psychological observation and sublime music has enthralled audiences ever since its premiere in Prague in 1786. This guide contains articles about the historical background to the opera, as well as musical and dramatic commentaries. Further articles deal with the changes in musical performance brought about in recent times by the period practice movement and with the particular uses Mozart makes of recitatives. There is also a survey of the opera's most important productions. Illustrations, a thematic guide, the full libretto with English translation and reference sections are also included.
£10.80
Alma Books Ltd Eugene Onegin
Book SynopsisPart of the Overture Opera Guides series in association with English National Opera, this new edition of Eugene Onegin contains new illustrations, many revised and newly commissioned articles, updated reference sections and a literal translation of the libretto that will enable the reader to get closer to the intentions and meaning of the original.
£10.80
Schirmer/Mosel Verlag GmbH Callas: Images of a Legend
Book Synopsis
£32.30
Edition Peters DÃme Ãpais Flower Duet from LakmÃ
Book Synopsis
£9.45
Cornerstone My World
Book SynopsisLUCIANO PAVAROTTI was born in Modena, Italy, in 1935. His operatic debut in 1961 made an immediate impression on the international operatic scene, and he went on to become possibly the most celebrated singer in the world. In September 2007 he died aged 71.WILLIAM WRIGHT is the author of several books which include biographies of Christina Onassis and Lillian Hellman, and he collaborated with Pavarotti on an earlier books, Pavarotti, My Life published in 1979.Trade ReviewA candid look at fifteen years of astounding talent and public adulation * Sunday Express *Will amuse and entertain the legions of Pavarotti's fervent admirers * Irish Independent *Wonderful, moving and revealing * Publishing News *
£11.69
The University of Chicago Press Networking Operatic Italy
Book SynopsisA study of the networks of opera production and critical discourse that shaped Italian cultural identity during and after Unification. Opera's role in shaping Italian identity has long fascinated both critics and scholars. Whereas the romance of the Risorgimento once spurred analyses of how individual works and styles grew out of and fostered specifically Italian sensibilities and modes of address, more recently scholars have discovered the ways in which opera has animated Italians' social and cultural life in myriad different local contexts. In Networking Operatic Italy, Francesca Vella reexamines this much-debated topic by exploring how, where, and why opera traveled on the mid-nineteenth-century peninsula, and what this mobility meant for opera, Italian cities, and Italy alike. Focusing on the 1850s to the 1870s, Vella attends to opera's encounters with new technologies of transportation and communication, as well as its continued dissemination through newspapers, wind bands, Trade Review“Thoroughly and rigorously researched and at the same time beautifully written, Networking Operatic Italy is a must-read for scholars and teachers in musicology, opera studies, Italian studies, and media studies. Francesca Vella deftly negotiates media theory and historical context, including reception theory, with refined and elegant readings of her musical texts. Her chapters on Verdi’s Aida and on military bands are a model for interdisciplinary research in the humanities.” * Suzanne Stewart-Steinberg, Brown University *“Vella breaks with the idea that nineteenth-century Italians were obsessed with their own culture and traditions and the narrow boundaries of their local communities. Networking Operatic Italy presents a new chapter in musicological research, introducing mobility studies into the history of opera and offering fascinating new interpretations of Italians’ engagement with music and theater. This is a book of great erudition and imaginative power.” * Axel Körner, University College London *“Networking Operatic Italy is an innovative and exciting exploration of opera on the move in mid-nineteenth-century Italy at the crucial time of national unification. Vella asks what these travels meant not only for opera, but also for a nation in the making. Her imaginative and comprehensive answers make for a compelling, multifaceted, and wholly original book.” * Emanuele Senici, University of Rome La Sapienza *“Astutely researched, Networking Operatic Italy weaves together an impressive array of recent humanistic trends. Tending to the local and the global, to mobility, materiality, temporality, technologies, media, and the voice, its case studies offer a unique journey through Italy’s rich operatic cultures in the decades around Unification. Vella thus manages to reframe the seemingly well-traveled world of later nineteenth-century Italian opera in view of its networked affordances, contingencies, and (often conflicting) modernizing impulses.” * Gundula Kreuzer, Yale University *"By contextualizing operatic practices within a wide arrange of theoretical, textual, visual, and sonic sources, the book delivers an innovative look at operatic culture in the context of Italy’s national formation and the Risorgimento. It is a fresh approach to mobility and transnational studies, one that makes the connection between a 'locality' such as Piacenza, commensurably relevant vis-à-vis the globality of Milan or Venice. For the rigor and originality of its primary sources, for the brilliancy and clarity of its argument, and for the refinement and elegance of its eloquence, Networking Operatic Italy is worthy of praise." * AAIS Book Prize *"In this enticing monograph, artists and operas travel the globe, technologies evolve and malfunction, and literary, archival, and musical sources are put in dialogue in innovative ways . . . The historical exploration Vella undertakes is markedly interdisciplinary. She ties and unties knots between the disciplines of literature, media studies, histories of technology, and musicology in new and unexpected ways. Her impressive synthesis reveals a fascinating tapestry of Italian culture, while inviting further research on the twists and tangles of operatic history." * Music and Letters *"Francesca Vella’s groundbreaking debut monograph Networking Operatic Italy will certainly not go unnoticed across a wide spectrum of disciplines such as opera studies, reception, and performance studies. The author’s refreshing outlook and compelling prose contribute to making the text a must-read for any serious investigation of nineteenth-century Italian culture." * Sound Stage Screen *
£45.60
McFarland and Company, Inc. Richard Wagner and the Jews
Book SynopsisThe contradictions between Wagner's antipathy toward the amorphous entity ""The Jews"" and his genuine friendships with individual Jews, are the subject of this book. Drawing on sources, including his autobiography and the diaries of his second wife, this book places Wagner's anti - Semitism in perspective with his life and work.
£37.82
Cambridge University Press Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor
£18.00
Legare Street Press Lassedio Di Leida Melodma. Tragico In Un Prologo
Book Synopsis
£15.15
Cambridge University Press Prokofievs Soviet Operas
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£85.50
Taylor & Francis Ltd EighteenthCentury Russian Music
Book SynopsisLittle is known outside of Russia about the nation''s musical heritage prior to the nineteenth century. Western scholarship has tended to view the history of Russian music as not beginning until the end of the eighteenth century. Marina Ritzarev''s work shows this interpretation to be misguided. Starting from an examination of the rich legacy of Russian music up to 1700, she explores the development of music over the course of the eighteenth century, a period of especially intense Westernization and secularization. The book focuses on what is characteristic and crucial to Russian music during this period, rather than seeking to provide a comprehensive survey. The musical culture of the time is discussed against the rich background of social, political and cultural life, tying together many of the phenomena that used to be viewed separately. The book highlights the importance of previously marginalized sectors - serf culture, choral sacred culture, the contribution of foreign musicianTrade Review�Marina Ritzarev (Rytsareva) has been writing about eighteenth-century Russian music for several decades now, and this new book finally makes her labours available in comprehensive fashion to an English-language readership. The work is full of strengths, particularly in her mastery of the huge repertory and her equal and very welcome control of the complex archival holdings... The book's historiographical detours are among its strengths and surprises... The volume hits its stride in chapter 4, at mid-century, where the author begins her discussion of the crucial composer Maxim Berezovsky. This is where Ritzarev's many years in the archives pay off and her confidence, authority, and ease of communication really come to the fore. The chapters focusing on the development of the concerto in the hands of both Russian and Western composers are particularly strong... [The] brief concluding section bristles with stimulating information, suggestions, and hypotheses...� Music and Letters '... a valuable and very interesting book... There is a wealth of information in this book...' Early Music Review �... Ritzarev�s book it is to be welcomed as an important major work by a major scholar ... Ritzarev is familiar with the relevant sources, has worked extensively in archives and is well placed to comment on existing critical approaches from both Russian and western perspectives... The book is enhanced by a large number of black-and-white illustrations and over a hundred musical examples... Both Ritzarev and Ashgate are to be congratulated on having produced...a book that will satisfy and stimulate readers from a variety of scholarly backgrounds.� Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies �... a much awaited publication that fills up a large gap in the history of music... Ritzarev is also one of the world's most knowledgeable, meticulous and yet remarkably interesting-to-read writers about Russian music in general... With the patience and pedantic conscientiousness ofTable of ContentsContents: List of figures and tables; List of music examples; Preface; Acknowledgements; Notes on abbreviations and transliteration; Rethinking eighteenth century Russian music; PrePetrine legacy; Toward the new Russian idiom: between Germans and Italians; between Italians and Russians; At the court of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich; The thaw of the 1760s; Lessons of the 1770s: Berezovsky and Bortniansky in Italy; The city in the 1770s; Bortniansky and the 1780s; The late eighteenth century Russian salon; Sarti in Russia; 1790s: muses and cannons; Master and serf; The choral concerto in the 1790s; Bortniansky in the nineteenth century; Bibliography; Index.
£51.29
Taylor & Francis Benjamin Britten and Montagu Slaters Peter Grimes
Book Synopsis âWho can turn skies back and begin again?â-PeterThis book contends that Peter Grimes, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential operas of the 20th century, is also one of the British theatreâs finest âlostâ plays. Seeking to liberate Britten and Slaterâs work from the blinkered traditions of theatre and opera criticism, Sam Kinchin-Smith poses two questions: If an opera was created like a play, and can be staged as a play, is it a play? If a portion of its success and influence is the product of this newly identified theatrical engine, is it then a great play? The answers involve Wagner and W.G. Sebald, George Crabbe and ComplicitÃ, Akenfield and Twin Peaks. Challenging long-established narratives of post-war theatre history, this book makes a compelling case for why practitioners and scholars of performance ought to pay more attention to Britten and Slaterâs achieTable of Contents1. Grimes on the Beach 2. Opera as Theatre: Why Peter Grimes is a Play 3. The Suffolk Renaissance: Why Peter Grimes is a Great Play
£14.64
Cambridge University Press Popular Opera in EighteenthCentury France
Book SynopsisThis is the first book for a century to explore the development of French opera with spoken dialogue from its beginnings. Musical comedy in this form came in different styles and formed a distinct genre of opera, whose history has been obscured by neglect. Its songs were performed in private homes, where operas themselves were also given. The subject-matter was far wider in scope than is normally thought, with news stories and political themes finding their way onto the popular stage. In this book, David Charlton describes the comedic and musical nature of eighteenth-century popular French opera, considering topics such as Gherardi''s theatre, Fair Theatre and the ''musico-dramatic art'' created in the mid-eighteenth century. Performance practices, singers, audience experiences and theatre staging are included, as well as a pioneering account of the formation of a core of ''canonical'' popular works.Trade Review'Ultimately, Popular Opera is a towering intellectual achievement that stands to significantly reorient contemporary accounts of eighteenth-century French opera. Charlton paves the way for a history of this repertoire in which previously discounted genres like fairground comedy and operatic parody take their place alongside the tragédie en musique. In this monograph, popular opera truly receives the limelight it has long deserved.' Callum Blackmore, Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies'Charlton's erudite scholarship makes Popular opera an essential reference work for musicologists, performers and scholars of 18th-century theatre. Moreover, Charlton's lucid descriptions of the often complex plots in many of these works highlight various news stories and themes relevant to the cultural and political historian. This much needed volume not only fulfils Charlton's initial observation that 'Popular opera deserves a history' (p.1) but amply demonstrates that this hitherto neglected repertory is sophisticated enough to rival even the tragédie en musique.' Adrian Powney, Early Music JournalTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. Music and spoken theatre; 3. Music in Gherardi's company; 4. Singing and acting at home; 5. Opéra-comique en vaudevilles; 6. Experiences of popular theatre; 7. Comic and serious themes; 8. Performance as history; 9. Musical expansion; 10. Italian inroads: the King's company; 11. Six methods of synthesis; 12. A 'Musico-dramatic art'; 13. Conclusions.
£81.00
