{"product_id":"szymanowskis-king-roger-9780907689911","title":"Szymanowskis King Roger","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA guide to the origins and music of Szymanowski's exquisitely beautiful opera \u003ci\u003eKing Roger\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003eKarol Szymanowski (1881-1937), the most important Polish composer after Chopin, wrote only two operas, the second of which, \u003ci\u003eKing Roger\u003c\/i\u003e, completed in 1924, is a masterpiece. After decades of neglect this magnificent work hasbegun to receive more attention around the world, and this first extended study of \u003ci\u003eKing Roger\u003c\/i\u003e investigates its origins, uncovers its ideology, examines its music and documents its history.   The book opens with an outline of the role the theatre played in Szymanowski's career, from his early operetta, \u003ci\u003eLottery for Husbands\u003c\/i\u003e, and the rousing ballet panotmime, \u003ci\u003eHarnasie\u003c\/i\u003e, based on legends from the Polish highlands.   Intracing the evolution of \u003ci\u003eKing Roger\u003c\/i\u003e from conception to completion, Alistair Wightman, one of the leading Szymanowki scholars, examines the contribution of the co-librettist, Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, and serveys the various strands which make up its ideology, from Euripides \u003ci\u003eThe Bacchae\u003c\/i\u003e and Plato \u003ci\u003ePhaedrus\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Symposium\u003c\/i\u003e to works by Pater, Nietzsche, Merezhkovsky and Micinski. He charts Szymanowski's fascination with the historical background of the opera, the world of the twelfth-century ruler of Norman Sicily, Roger II (1095-1154). Szymanowski's own novel, \u003ci\u003eEfebos\u003c\/i\u003e, written in 1918-19 and only partially preserved offers intriguing parallels with hisopera.  ALISTAIR WIGHTMAN has written extensively about Polish music of the early twentieth century and his translation, \u003ci\u003eSzymanowski on Music\u003c\/i\u003e was published by Toccata Press in 1999.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWightman writes with a deep love of the opera...Valuable for marshalling so much material on King Roger in relatively few pages, this book is an inspiring read. -- John Allison * BBC MUSIC *\u003cbr\u003eThis impressive book delves deep into the opera, relating its composition from idea to completion, discusses its ideology . . . and its performance history . . . richly detailed. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *","brand":"Toccata Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49406515708247,"sku":"9780907689911","price":23.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780907689911.jpg?v=1730496112","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/szymanowskis-king-roger-9780907689911","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}