Search results for ""Author Nicholas John""

Secrecy and the Media is the first book to examine the development of the D-Notice system, which regulates the UK media's publication of British national security secrets. It is based on official documents, many of which have not previously been available to a general audience, as well as on media sources.From Victorian times, British governments have consistently seen the need, in the public interest, to prevent the media publishing secret information which would endanger national security. The UK media have meanwhile continuously resisted official attempts to impose any form of censorship, arguing that a free press is in the public interest. Both sides have normally seen the pitfalls of attempting to resolve this sometimes acrimonious conflict of interests by litigation, and have together evolved a system of editorial self-regulation, assisted by day-to-day independent expert advice, known colloquially as the D-Notice System. The book traces the development of this system from nineteenth-century colonial campaigns, through two world wars, to modern operations and counter-terrorism in the post-Cold War era, up to the beginning of the Labour government in 1997. Examples are drawn from media, political and official sources (some not yet open), and cover not only defence issues (including Special Forces), but also the activities of the secret intelligence services MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. These cases relate principally to the UK, but also to American and other allies’ interests. The story of how this sometimes controversial institution now operates in the modern world will be essential reading for those in the media and government departments, and for academics and students in the fields of security, defence and intelligence, as well as being an accessible exposé for the general reader.Nicholas Wilkinson served in the Royal Navy 1959-98, and from 1999 to 2004 he ran the independent Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee. He was a Press Complaints Commissioner from 2005 to 2008, and is a Cabinet Office Historian.

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These Opera Guides are ideal companions to the opera. They provide stimulating introductory articles together with the complete text of each opera in English and the original. ‘Puccini’s motto could be: “The maximum effect with the simplest means”,’ suggests Bernard Keeffe. He analyses different aspects of the score, noting particularly Puccini’s genius for orchestration, and the infinitely subtle effects that give the melodrama irresistible vitality. Stuart Woolfe’s scholarly assessment of the significance of the historical themes for Puccini explains many of the motives of the protagonists. Tosca is a supreme example of music’s power to enthral an audience and Bernard Williams discusses the particular quality of its appeal.

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It used to be thought that Verdi miscalculated with this attempt at a “grand opera” in the French style. This guide demonstrates that Don Carlos was – and remains – an extraordinary achievement in melding two opposing visions of opera: the spectacular public aspect of the French tradition with the dramatic concision of the Italian. And because of the variety of versions which Verdi sanctioned, this debate is open-ended. Contents: A Grand Opera with a Difference, Julian Budden; Off the Beaten Track, Gilles de Van; “A Family Portrait in a Royal Household”: ‘Don Carlos’ from Schiller to Verdi, F.J. Lamport; Stendhal’s ‘Don Carlos’: “The most moving opera ever written”, by Nicholas Cronk; Don Carlos: Grand Opera in Five Acts by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle; Don Carlo: Italian translation by Achille de Lauzières and Angelo Zanardini with additional material translated by Piero Faggioni; Don Carlos: English translation by Andrew Porter; Introduction by Jennifer Batchelor

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Although it is impossible to trace any one particular theme running through the operas of Michael Tippett, the libretti of his four operas are fascinating to compare. The dense allusions of The Midsummer Marriage (1955), here annotated, gave way to the classical formality of King Priam (1962); the psychoanalytical preoccupations of The Knot Garden (1970) hardly foreshadow the contemporary political commentary of The Ice Break (1977). Each work breaks new ground and provokes unexpected responses. The libretti offer unique introductions to the music, and throw a searching light on the direction of British theatre since 1945. Contents: Operas contained in this volume: The Midsummer Marriage, King Priam, The Knot Garden, The Ice Break; Introduction, Meirion Bowen; A Ritual of Renewal, Paul Driver; ‘A Visionary Night’, John Lloyd Davies; Music for an Epic, Andrew Clements; A Tempest of Our Time, Meirion Bowen; Stereotypes and Rebirth, Leslie East

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This fourth installment in the hilarious and highly illustrated full-color Superpower Field Guide series features Olenka, an ordinary eel. Olenka may be slimy, wiggly, and the colour of mud, but never, ever underestimate an eel. Meet Olenka, an ordinary eel. Did I hear you say, "But aren't eels just long slippery slimy fishy-things that... hmm... Is there anything else to know about eels?" You bet your buttons there is! Sit back and hold on tight, because Olenka is going to amaze you with superpowers such as double invisibility and shape-shifting, and the super secret Lair of the Abyss (that means a top-secret deep-sea hideout). In fact, Olenka's life is so impossibly extraordinary, it has baffled the smartest scientists in the world for thousands of years. "Impossible!" you say. I say, "you don't know eels." But you will. Includes a ruler printed along the edge of the book's back cover to aid the observations of young field scientists everywhere! AGES: 7 to 10 AUTHOR: Rachel Poliquin is a writer engaged in all things orderly and disorderly in the natural world. With a cross-disciplinary background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history, she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia and a Post-Doctoral Degree in History from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Poliquin is the author of the Superpower Field Guide series, and has also written for Science Friday, The Believer Magazine, and The New York Times. Nicholas John Frith is the author/illustrator of Hector and Hummingbird, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's book Prize 2016 and winner of the inaugural Klaus Flugge Prize, as well as the book Hello, Mr. Dodo! and the Superpower Field Guide series. He lives and works on the coast of Dorset, England.

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Beavers, the first book in the new middle-grade nonfiction Superhero Field Guide series by Rachel Poliquin and award-winning illustrator Nicholas John Frith, is a delightfully informative, laugh-out-loud full-colour look at the most unsuspecting of animal heroes, perfect for readers who like their facts served with a large dose of humour. Meet Elmer, an ordinary beaver. He may not be as mighty as a lion or as dangerous as a shark. He may be squat and brown. But never underestimate a beaver. I can almost hear you saying, "But aren't beavers just lumpy rodents with buck teeth and funny flat tails?" Yes, they are! And believe it or not, those buck teeth and funny flat tails are just a few of the things that make beavers extraordinary. Humorous and engaging, Beavers is the first book in the new highly illustrated nonfiction Superpower Field Guide series, inspiring readers to laugh, think, and view the world around them with new eyes. AGES: 7 to 10 AUTHOR: Rachel Poliquin is a writer engaged in all things orderly and disorderly in the natural world. With a cross-disciplinary background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history, she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia and a Post-Doctoral Degree in History from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Poliquin is the author of the Superpower Field Guide series, and has also written for Science Friday, The Believer Magazine, and The New York Times. Nicholas John Frith is the author/illustrator of Hector and Hummingbird, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's book Prize 2016 and winner of the inaugural Klaus Flugge Prize, as well as the book Hello, Mr. Dodo! and the Superpower Field Guide series. He lives and works on the coast of Dorset, England.

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These Opera Guides are ideal companions to the opera. They provide stimulating introductory articles together with the complete text of each opera in English and the original. More than any other work in the operatic repertory, Parsifal demands a personal commitment and response. As the culmination of half a lifetime’s preoccupation with the issues of compassion and redemption, it has profound philosophical implications. As the ultimate example of Wagner’s idiom it is an extraordinary musical structure. The unique quality of the subject inspired a wholly original musical conception. Here are four very different essays designed, in their variety, to set you thinking about it what it means to you. The translation was commissioned for the first production by English National Opera in 1986. Contains: A Very Human Epic Mike Ashman Recapitulation of a Lifetime Dieter Borchmeyer Experiencing Music and Imagery in ‘Parsifal’ Robin Holloway ‘Parsifal’: Words and Music Carolyn Abbate Discussions into the Dramaturgy of ‘Parsifal’ Gerd Rienäcker Thematic Guide Lionel Friend ‘Parsifal’ poem by Richard Wagner ‘Parsifal’ English translation by Andrew Porter Discography Cathy Peterson Bibliography

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Born in America in the late 1940s, drag racing soon spread across the world, reaching Britain in 1960 when some local hot rod clubs joined forces to form the British Hot Rod Association. At the same time, Sydney Allard saw drag racing as a new challenge, and began building an American style-dragster in the Allard workshops. Sydney also brought over teams of American dragsters to show the British what drag racing was all about, while the British Hot Rod Association was holding meetings on RAF runways with a growing number of enthusiasts who were building their own dragsters based on the American machine designs. John Bennett realised that for drag racing to grow in Britain a permanent facility needed to be found, and at the end of 1965, he announced that Podington airfield was to become Santa Pod Raceway, opening for business in 1966. This book takes a detailed look at the burgeoning British drag racing of the 1960s, complemented by rare colour photos. It follows the development of Santa Pod Raceway, and the ever increasing fields of competitors that ran there up to 1969. A fascinating, nostalgic study of one of the fastest, loudest, most powerful motor sports in the world.

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This is a double volume dedicated to two masterpieces by Benjamin Britten. While Peter Grimes established Britten as a composer of international standing, Gloriana, composed for the coronation of Elizabeth II, has never enjoyed a comparable fame. The variety of mood, characterization and pace, in each, illustrates Britten’s exceptional gift for theatre. Commentaries on the scores reveal, for instance, how much the popular concert extracts gain from their context in the dramas. The essay by E.M. Forster – the inspiration for Peter Grimes – is reprinted here, and Michael Holroyd discusses Lytton Strachey’s controversial Elizabeth and Essex – the source for Gloriana. Contents: Benjamin Britten’s Librettos, Peter Porter; George Crabbe: The Poet and the Man, E.M. Forster; ‘Peter Grimes’: A Musical Commentary, Stephen Walsh; Peter Grimes: Libretto by Montagu Slater; ‘Peter Grimes’ and ‘Gloriana’, Joan Cross, Peter Pears and John Evans; Some Reflections on the Operas of Benjamin Britten, Buxton Orr; ‘A daring experiment’, Michael Holroyd; The Librettist of ‘Gloriana’, Rupert Hart-Davis; The Music of ‘Gloriana’, Christopher Palmer; Notes on the Libretto of ‘Gloriana’, William Plomer; Gloriana: Libretto by William Plomer

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Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra exists in two versions: that of the 1857 original and that of the 1881 revision. The texts of the libretto of both versions are included in this guide, with a number of essays which focus on the differences between the two. Rodolfo Celleti provides the story’s historical context, setting the events of the real life of Simon Boccanegra against the unification of Italy, which formed the political backdrop to the composition of both versions of Verdi’s opera. James A. Hepokoski gives a detailed synopsis of the 1881 score, and indicates the ways in which Verdi radically revised the original and reworked it to fit his late style. Lastly, Desmond Shawe-Taylor discusses Verdi’s attitude to his singers, and the critical reception that performances of both versions of the opera received. This edition contains over twenty illustrations, a thematic guide and the texts of the libretti in the original with literal translations. There is also a bibilography, discography and DVD guide, together with a list of websites that will allow the reader to explore the opera further. Contents: An Historical Perspective, Rodolfo Celletti; An Introduction to the 1881 Score, James Hepokoski; Verdi and his Singers, Desmond Shawe-Taylor; Simon Boccanegra: Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave with additions by Giuseppe Montanelli and additions and alterations by Arrigo Boito; Simon Boccanegra: English translation by James Fenton

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Funny and fact-filled, MOLES is another installment in the SUPERPOWER FIELD GUIDES series by author Rachel Poliquin, featuring full-colour illustrations by Nicholas John Frith that will engage readers with witty narration and fun visual elements, inspiring readers to dig deep and see the world, both above and below ground, with new eyes. Meet Rosalie, a common mole.The first thing you need to know about Rosalie is that she is shaped like a potato. Not a new potato, all cute and round, but a plain old lumpy potato. She may be small. She may be spongy. But never underestimate a mole. I know what you're thinking: moles are just squinty-eyed beasts that wreck your lawn. You're right! Those squinty eyes and mounds of dirt are proof that moles have superpowers. There is absolutely nothing common about the common mole. AGES: 7 to 10 AUTHOR: Rachel Poliquin is a writer engaged in all things orderly and disorderly in the natural world. With a cross-disciplinary background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history, she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia and a Post-Doctoral Degree in History from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Poliquin is the author of the Superpower Field Guide series, and has also written for Science Friday, The Believer Magazine, and The New York Times. Nicholas John Frith is the author/illustrator of Hector and Hummingbird, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's book Prize 2016 and winner of the inaugural Klaus Flugge Prize, as well as the book Hello, Mr. Dodo! and the Superpower Field Guide series. He lives and works on the coast of Dorset, England.

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This tender, lyrical and passionate story of unrequited love holds a special place in Russian hearts. Tatyana’s letter scene and the Polonaise are two much loved glories of the score; each act is tightly constructed around an antithesis of public and private scenes, and the dances are integral to the drama. The essence of both opera and poem is yearning, whether the artist’s quest for his muse, or the lover for the beloved. Both poet and composer are true, in different ways, to this theme. The essays included in this guide explore the subtle and unexpected relationship between the words and music in Tchaikovsky’s intimate ‘Lyrical Scenes after Pushkin’. Contents: Pushkin into Tchaikovsky: Caustic Novel, Sentimental Opera, Caryl Emerson; Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’, Roland John Wiley; An Appreciation of ‘Eugene Onegin’, Natalia Challis; Eugene Onegin: Libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky and Pyotr Tchaikovsky; Eugene Onegin: English translation by David Lloyd-Jones

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Monteverdi’s 1607 version of the legend of Orpheus is arguably the first masterpiece of opera. Composed for the court of Mantua, where Monteverdi was employed, it is very different from his two other surviving operas, which he wrote more than thirty years later to entertain Venetian audiences in the first public opera houses. Orfeo was long considered untranslatable, because the text is so closely tied to the music, and the Venetian librettos owe some of their brilliance to Spanish Golden Age theatre. This opera guide is an opportunity to read all three of Monteverdi’s stage works together, in Anne Ridler’s graceful translations. Contents: Operas contained in this volume: Orfeo, Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea; Monteverdi, Opera and History, lain Fenlon; On Translating Opera, Anne Ridler; PART ONE: Mantua; A masterpiece for a Court, John Whenham; Music Examples; ‘Orfeo’: Favola in musica by Alessandro Striggio the Younger; Orfeo: English singing version by Anne Ridler; PART TWO: Venice; Musical Theatre in Venice, Paolo Fabbri; The Spanish Contribution to the Birth of Opera, Jack Sage; Monteverdi Returns to his Homeland, Tim Carter; Musical Examples; ll ritorno d’Ulisse in patria: Dramma in musica by Giacomo Badoaro; The Return of Ulysses: English singing version by Anne Ridler; Public Vice, Private Virtue, lain Fenlon and Peter Miller; Musical Examples; L’incoronazione di Poppea: Opera musicale by Giovanni Francesco Busenello; The Coronation of Poppea: English singing version by Anne Ridler

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Richard Wagner’s fifteen-hour operatic cycle The Ring of the Nibelung ends with this great music drama. Michael Tanner’s essay tackles the scale and meaning not just of this work but of Wagner’s whole undertaking, showing that Götterdämmerung is – for all its length – his fastest-moving drama. Composer Robin Holloway brings the focus of creative genius to his discussion of the score, while Christopher Winkle’s article analyses Brunnhilde’s concluding monologue. The ninety numbered musical themes of the Thematic Guide are cross-referenced to the other Ring guides. Contents: An Introduction to the End, Michael Tanner; Motif, Memory and Meaning in ‘Twilight of the Gods’, Robin Holloway; The Questionable Lightness of Being: Brunnhilde’s Peroration to ‘The Ring’, Christopher Wintle; Götterdämmerung: Poem by Richard Wagner; Twilight of the Gods: English translation by Andrew Porter

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“A Turandot filtered through a modern brain”, wrote Puccini, describing his plans to rework the eighteenth-century fable by Carlo Gozzi. According to Mosco Carner, Puccini’s last and supreme work is an advanced score which, with an orchestration that reflects contemporaries such as Richard Strauss and Stravinsky as well as genuine Chinese rhythms and harmonies, remains true to the Italian vocal tradition. The musicologist Jürgen Maehder analyses of the ending, which Franco Alfano composed from Puccini’s sketches. In addition, the great British soprano Dame Eva Turner recalls her experiences of singing the title role, of which she was a legendary interpreter. Contents: The Genesis of the Opera, Mosco Carner; The Score, Mosco Carner; Puccini’s ‘Turandot’: A Fragment, Jürgen Maehder; Carlo Gozzi’s ‘Turandot’ and Its Transformation into Puccini’s Libretto, John Black; Memories of Performing ‘Turandot’, Eva Turner; Turandot: Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni; Turandot: English literal translation by William Weaver

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Madama Butterfly is one of the most popular operas of all time, despite its disastrous premiere, after which it was immediately withdrawn and revised. This guide explores how and why the libretto was softened to suit the tastes of European opera-goers, and the different variants are set out, side by side. Professor Jean-Pierre Lehmann introduces the story and shows how the theme of a Japanese girl deserted by a heartless foreigner became a classic. Since John Luther Long’s novella – on which the opera was based – is included as well, it is possible to judge how successful Puccini was in catching its essence in his hauntingly beautiful score. Contents: Images of the Orient, John-Pierre Lehmann; Tribulations of a Score, Julian Smith; Madame Butterfly, John Luther Long; Madama Butterfly: Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi lllica after the book by John Luther Long and the play by David Belasco; Madam Butterfly: English version based on that of R.H. Elkin

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Stravinsky’s genius for the stage is here represented by two very different works. Oedipus Rex (1927) is the fruit of a collaboration with Jean Cocteau, in which the Sophocles tragedy is pared down to make an opera-oratorio of overwhelming impact. Judith Weir analyses how this is achieved: the Latin text has an immediacy which is sometimes even comic, and the vibrant rhythms are reminiscent of the Italian operatic tradition – explored by David Nice in his analysis of the score. The libretto of The Rake’s Progress (1951) by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman is one of the greatest English opera texts. In a survey of the composition period, Roger Savage examines the contributions of the different collaborators. Contents: The Person of Fate and the Fate of the Person: ‘Oedipus Rex’, David Nice; ‘Oedipus Rex’: A Personal View, Judith Weir; On an Oratorio, Jean Cocteau; Oedipus Rex: Libretto by Jean Cocteau, translated into Latin by Jean Daniélou; Oedipus Rex: English translation of the narration by e. e. cummings and of the Latin text by Deryck Cooke; Making a Libretto: Three Collaborations over ‘The Rake’s Progress’, Roger Savage; The New and the Classical in ‘The Rake’s Progress’, Brian Trowell; The Rake’s Progress: Libretto by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman

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Winton Dean relates how Otello came into being as much because of the persistence of Verdi’s publisher as of the composer’s lifelong passion for Shakespeare, and the collaboration of the brilliant poet Arrigo Boito. Benedict Sarnaker argues that this magnificent large-scale opera rivals Shakespeare in intensity and profundity. William Weaver’s lively review of Shakespeare on the Italian stage in the last century enables us to make a wholly fresh appraisal of Verdi’s stature as a dramatist. The libretto itself is a masterpiece, and Andrew Porter has also translated the third-act revision which Verdi came to prefer and which has not been performed outside France before the 1981 ENO production. Contents: ‘Otello’: The Background, Winton Dean; ‘Otello’: Drama and Music Benedict Sarnaker; Verdi, Shakespeare and the Italian Audience, William Weaver; Otello: Libretto by Arrigo Boito; Otello: English Translation by Andrew Porter

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This reference book provides traffic safety researchers and practitioners with an international and multi-disciplinary compendium of theoretical and methodological chapters. Together, these chapters discuss the research and application of “Traffic Safety Culture” as an important approach to traffic safety, including the vision of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Traffic crashes are a significant cause of death and debilitating injury worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Whereas most traditional safety efforts teach safe behavior (education), punish risky behavior (enforcement), or design the environment to minimize crash injury resulting from those behaviors (engineering), there is also the need to understand the culture of our social environments that influence our concern for traffic safety and choice of behaviors. As a result, there is growing interest in the concept of Traffic Safety Culture. However, this concept is relatively new and is not yet supported by a robust theoretical foundation or amassed large body of research. The goal of this book is to create a theoretical foundation and methodological framework for using traffic safety culture, including the discussion of best practices for developing, implementing and evaluating culture-based strategies.

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“It was a treat so truly intellectual that every ear and every breast, susceptible of harmony and of impression, was gratified to a degree beyond our power to describe.” Thus reads one of the first London reviews of Così fan tutte. Its enigmatic mixture of a detached experiment in human foibles and a struggle of sincere emotions has often disturbed audiences. H.C. Robbins Landon observes, however, that Mozart’s heartfelt music proves he is openly on the side of the angels – the ladies – not the deceivers, however cynical Da Ponte’s words appear to be. Brian Trowell describes the sophisticated world in which the opera was conceived, while John Stone traces the origins of the libretto to Ancient Greece, medieval Italy and even to China. The text is certainly Da Ponte’s most original work, and is here presented in Revd M.E. Browne’s acclaimed translation, revised by John Cox. Contents: Mozart at the time of ‘Così fan tutte’, Brian Trowell; A Commentary on the Score, H.C. Robbins Landon; The Background to the Libretto, John Stone; A Performance History, Nicholas John; Così fan tutte: Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte; Così fan tutte: English translation by Marmaduke E. Browne, revised by John Cox

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Rigoletto was first produced at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice, in 1851, and is generally seen as marking the beginning of Giuseppe Verdi’s extraordinary middle period. It was followed in quick succession by Il trovatore and La traviata, and even after the great success of these two works Verdi regarded it as his ‘best opera’ up to that time. Based on Victor Hugo’s play Le Roi s’amuse, which was banned after its premiere in Paris in 1832, the opera faced considerable difficulties with local censors before performance was permitted. In the story of the hunchbacked court jester and his beloved daughter, Verdi believed he had found “the greatest subject and perhaps the greatest drama of modern times”. The guide contains articles on the place of Rigoletto in Verdi’s oeuvre and the background to its composition, a detailed examination of its musical structure and a survey of its performance history including discussions of some of its most distinguished interpreters. A further article highlights aspects of the opera’s particularly Italian character. The guide also includes the full Italian libretto with English translation, sixteen pages of illustrations, a musical thematic guide, a bibliography and discography, and DVD and website guides. Contains: The Making of Rigoletto, Jonathan Keates The Music of Rigoletto, Roger Parker A Selective Performance History, George Hall Rigoletto: Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave after Victor Hugo’s play Le Roi s’amuse Rigoletto: English Translation by William Weaver

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“A lyric comedy unlike any other”, wrote Verdi about his last opera. That the last work of a composer who was almost notorious for his preference for tragic and gloomy subjects should be a brilliant human comedy was and remains one of the wonders of music. Michael Rose considers its status in Italian comic opera tradition. Davis Cairns pours his enthusiasm for the piece into a detailed and illuminating musical analysis. Andrew Porter, whose translation almost matches Boito’s original libretto for elegance and wit, explains the challenges and risks of the undertaking in his fascinating introduction. Contents: Introduction, Nicholas John; ‘A Lyric Comedy Unlike Any Other’, Michael Rose; ‘Full of Nimble, Fiery and Delectable Shapes’, David Cairns; Translating ‘Falstaff’, Andrew Porter; Falstaff: Libretto by Arrigo Boito; Falstaff: English Translation by Andrew Porter

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This volume offers the first comprehensive analysis in English of all the writings of Julian (r. AD 361-363), the last pagan emperor of Rome, noted for his frontal and self-conscious challenge to Christianity. This book also contains treatments of Julian's laws, inscriptions, coinage, as well as his artistic programme. Across nineteen papers, international specialists in the field of Late Antique Studies offer original interpretations of an extraordinary figure: emperor and philosopher, soldier and accomplished writer. Julian, his life and writings, are here considered as parts of the tumult in politics, culture and religion during the Fourth Century AD. New light is shed on Julian's distinctive literary style and imperial agenda. This volume also includes an up-to-date, consolidated bibliography.

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Verdi came to Shakespeare through Italian translation and had never seen Macbeth on stage when he wrote his first version of the opera in 1847. Giorgio Melchiori draws a parallel between the conditions in which the playwright and the composer were working and compares their achievements. The supernatural was a vital element in both conceptions: the opera is “in the fantastic style”, with bizarre music for the witches’ dances and choruses. Theatre historian Michael Booth vividly introduces the staging of Shakespeare in the nineteenth century. Harold Powers discusses how the dramatic situations lent themselves to the forms and purposes of Italian opera. Contents: ‘Macbeth’: Shakespeare to Verdi, Giorgio Melchiori; Making ‘Macbeth’ ‘Musicabile’, Harold Powers; ‘Macbeth’ and the Nineteenth-Century Theatre, Michael R. Booth; A Note on Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, August Wilhelm Schlegel; The Preface in the Ricordi Libretto; Piave’s Intended Preface for the 1847 Libretto; Macbeth: Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave (1865); Macbeth: English translation by Jeremy Sams

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Written in 1927, Arabella is a portrait – partly romanticized, partly factual – of Habsburg Vienna in the 1860s. It is also a celebration of the profound importance of courage and the ability to forgive in love. Our sympathies are not only drawn to Arabella, who waits for “the right man” to come, but to her younger sister, who breaks with conventional morality in the cause of her love. This opera is a moving testament to Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who died before it was completed, and it remains one of the best-loved products of his twenty-five- year collaboration with Strauss. Contents: The Edge of the Cliff, Michael Ratcliffe; A Musical Synopsis, William Mann; A Profound Simplicity, Patrick J. Smith; Hofmannsthal’s Last Libretto, Karen Forsyth; Arabella: Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal; Arabella: English translation by John Gutman

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In this guide to Verdi’s popular opera, Marcello Conati of the Institute for Verdi Studies points out that, although audiences have always adored it, critics are only now coming to see that it represents a step forward, not back, from the revolutionary drama of Rigoletto, completed a year before. Professor D.R.B. Kimbell, an expert on Verdi’s music, clarifies the story and takes us through the score, while Professor Donald Shaw examines the unusual symbolism of the Spanish Romantic movement. Il Trovatore can be approached just as a theatrical experience, but these essays give brief and valuable insights into the type of drama it is, and the way it works. Contents: ‘Higher than the highest’, Marcello Conati; ‘Il trovatore’: Music and Drama, D.R.B. Kimbell; Antonio García Gutiérrez’s ‘El trovador’, Donald Shaw; Il trovatore: Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano; Il trovatore: English translation by Tom Hammond

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This third installment in the hilarious and highly-illustrated full-colour Superpower Field Guide series features the silly-looking, surprisingly fierce Ostrich. This two-toed torpedo may have the largest eyes of any animal on dry land, but it can outrun most horses! Meet Eno, an ordinary ostrich living in the Serengeti, a corner of the African savanna. But there's something you should know: Even ordinary ostriches are extraordinary. And that includes Eno. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that ostriches are just overgrown chickens with ridiculous necks, skinny legs, and bad attitudes. And you're right! Believe it or not, that neck helps ostriches run at supersonic speeds. Those skinny legs can kill a lion dead. And these are only a few weapons in Eno's arsenal of superfierce survival skills - Eno has Colossal Orbs of Telescopic Vision, the Impossible Ever-Flow Lung, the Egg of Wonder, and so many more. You're still not convinced that ostriches are superpowered, are you? Well, you don't know ostriches yet. But you will. Includes a ruler printed along the book's back side to aid the observations of young field scientists everywhere! AGES: 7 to 10 AUTHOR: Rachel Poliquin is a writer engaged in all things orderly and disorderly in the natural world. With a cross-disciplinary background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history, she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia and a Post-Doctoral Degree in History from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Poliquin is the author of the Superpower Field Guide series, and has also written for Science Friday, The Believer Magazine, and The New York Times. Nicholas John Frith is the author/illustrator of Hector and Hummingbird, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's book Prize 2016 and winner of the inaugural Klaus Flugge Prize, as well as the book Hello, Mr. Dodo! and the Superpower Field Guide series. He lives and works on the coast of Dorset, England.

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“Things like this are written only for people who have good powers of endurance (so really for nobody!)”, wrote Wagner about Die Walküre. Yet, as Geoffrey Skelton points out, the opera has enjoyed a separate popularity and existence from the Ring Cycle. George Gillespie shows just how the string of mythical events was converted into a drama remarkable for its concentrated excitement and fine construction. Barry Millington introduces the web of motifs in the complex score. The English version, with Elizabeth Forbes’s translation of the verses that Wagner did not eventually set to music but retained as footnotes to his published version, is by acclaimed translator Andrew Porter. Contents: A Conflict of Power and Love, Geoffrey Skelton; Chronology of the Composition of ‘The Valkyrie’; An Introduction to the Music of ‘The Valkyrie’, Barry Millington; New Myths for Old, George Gillespie; Translating ‘The Ring’, Andrew Porter; Die Walküre: Poem by Richard Wagner; The Valkyrie: English translation by Andrew Porter

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Der Rosenkavalier has one of the longest and most exquisitely crafted texts of all opera. The depth and subtlety of the characterization can only be appreciated after a careful reading. Derrick Puffett notes that the sentimentality and parody of the subject perfectly matched Strauss’s genius. Michael Kennedy’s detailed musical commentary shows how the large orchestra is handled with exceptional skill. Peter Branscombe points out that Hofmannsthal set a new standard of libretto-writing and shows how the ideas in Der Rosenkavalier may be traced to his other works for the stage, in his prose and poetry. Contents: An Introduction to ‘Der Rosenkavalier’, Derrick Puffett; Comedy for Music, Michael Kennedy; Hugo von Hofinannsthal – Man of Letters, Peter Branscombe; Der Rosenkavalier: Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal; Der Rosenkavalier: English translation by Alfred Kalisch

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Among the features of this guide to La Cenerentola, Philip Gossett throws new light on the remarkable story of the opera’s composition, while Colin Graham, ENO producer, argues that it is the most sympathetic of all Rossini’s comic masterpieces, and Mark Elder, ENO Music Director, shows how Rossini’s musical style is exceptionally well suited to this enchanting story. Contents: Fairy tale and opera buffa: the genre of Rossini’s ‘La Cenerentola’, Philip Gossett; ‘La Cenerentola’ – a musical commentary, Arthur Jacobs; ‘Cinderella’ in performance: I: A conversation with Mark Elder, II: A conversation with Colin Graham; La cenerentola: Libretto by Giacomo Ferretti; Ciderella: English translation by Arthur Jacobs

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“Verdi’s War and Peace“, writes Peter Conrad of this epic opera composed in 1862. It encompasses the extremes of a religious and secular existence – the worlds of the lovers pursued by an uncompromising fate and of the people in the scenes at the inn and on the battlefield. Despite its beautiful score, this opera has often seemed perplexing: Richard Bernas shows us how the music is devised as a convincing entity, and Bruce A. Brown traces the tortuous but fascinating history of its revisions. Here translated into English by Andrew Porter, La forza del destino deserves a serious reassessment. Contents: War and Peace, Peter Conrad; The Music of ‘The Force of Destiny’, Richard Bernas; The Revision of ‘The Force of Destiny’; ‘That Damned Ending’, Bruce A. Brown; La forza del destino: Libretto by Francesco Piave (1862) with additions by Antonio Ghislanzoni (1869); The Force of Destiny: English translation by Andrew Porter

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Richard Strauss turned his genius to opera at the turn of the twentieth century, and this guide contains the texts and introductions to his first two masterpieces in what was, for him, a new genre. Despite obvious similarities – both operas consisting of one act, centred upon one female title role – the works are quite different in subject and treatment. Salome, based on Oscar Wilde’s notorious play, has a kaleidoscopic range of orchestral colour and a lurid climax. Elektra, derived from the myths of the ancient Greeks and the first collaboration between Strauss and Hofmannsthal, is a study in neurosis, ripe for Jungian comparative analysis. Contents: Richard Strauss and the Unveiling of ‘Salome’, Paul Banks; Salome: Libretto by Hedwig Lachmann; Salome: English translation by Tom Hammond; Hofmannsthal’s ‘Elektra’: from Drama to Libretto, Kenneth Segar; Elektra and the ‘Elektra Complex’, Christopher Wintle; Elektra: Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal; Elektra: English translation by Anthony Hose; Strauss’s Orchestra in ‘Salome’ and ‘Elektra’, Jonathan Burton

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Wagner wanted Siegfried, the third music drama in The Ring of the Nibelung, to be the most popular of the cycle. Despite its many beautiful and dramatic scenes, it has not fulfilled its composer’s aspiration: Professor Ulrich Weisstein examines why. Professor Anthony Newcomb contributes a detailed analysis of Wagner’s leitmotifs and the different purposes they fulfil. Derrick Puffett discusses how Wagner composed Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger von Nu¨rnberg in the eight-year hiatus between his beginning and completion of Siegfried’s second act. The thematic guide complements those found in the other Opera Guides to The Ring Cycle. Contents: Educating Siegfried, Ulrich Weisstein; ‘Siegfried’: The Music, Anthony Newcomb; ‘Siegfried’ in the Context of Wagner’s Operatic Writing, Derrick Puffett; Siegfried: Poem by Richard Wagner; Siegfried: English translation by Andrew Porter

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The story of Manon Lescaut has become part of the European imagination: she is the fun-loving woman who is irresistible to men. Of Massenet’s many operas, she inspired the most popular one, and this libretto shows his minute attention to detail in bringing the character and the period to life. This guide opens with a general survey of Massenet’s career by the musicologist Gérard Condé, and includes two essays about this particular opera. Professor Hugh Macdonald explores the interplay of speech and song in Manon and Massenet’s genius for comedy. Professor Vivienne Mylne traces the sources and context of Prévost’s novel. Contents: Massenet, Gerard Conde; A Musical Synopsis, Hugh Macdonald; Prevost and ‘Manon Lescaut’, Vivienne Mylne; Manon: Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille; Manon: English version by Edmund Tracey

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