Description
Book SynopsisGiuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, the two greatest operatic composers of their time, had everything and nothing in common. Their achievements were comparable, but their personalities, their approaches to music and drama, and their complex legacies made them incompatible. Verdi thought of art as a comfort to mankind.
Trade Review'Has done more than any actual production I’ve seen to make me excited about opera … Conrad has provided me with a means of accessing opera specifically, as well as a way of thinking about music in general' - Prospect
'A valuable work, not just because of Conrad’s musical insights, but because of his grasp of historical context … exemplary … never dull' - Guardian
'A characteristic, often brilliant helter-skelter ride through the life, times and works of the composers … fascinating enough to be scoured cover-to-cover with pencil in hand' - Gramophone
'A scintillating and absorbing read' - Opera
'Many fascinating insights pepper the book … no one has commented so fully on contemporary productions of the operas of both Verdi and Wagner as Conrad' - Times Literary Supplement
Table of Contents1. Counterparts • 2. National Characters • 3. Maestro, Meister, Muses • 4. Duets or Dualities • 5. A Death and a Regeneration • 6. Their Second Century
