Ever since its invention in Florence around 1600, opera has exerted a peculiar fascination for creative artists and audiences alike. A "Western" genre with a global reach, it is often regarded as the pinnacle of high art, where music and drama come together in unique ways, suppo…
Ever since its invention in Florence around 1600, opera has exerted a peculiar fascination for creative artists and audiences alike. A "Western" genre with a global reach, it is often regarded as the pinnacle of high art, where music and drama come together in unique ways, suppo…
What is opera? -- Giovanni Francesco Busenello and Claudio Monteverdi, L'incoronazione di Poppea (Venice, 1643) -- Nicola Francesco Haym and George Frideric Handel, Giulio Cesare in Egitto (London, 1724) -- Lorenzo da Ponte and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro (Vienna…
Opera has long fascinated creative artists and audiences alike. It is often regarded as the pinnacle of high art, yet it is also shrouded in mystique. This book unravels its many layers by looking closely at five of the most enduring and emblematic Italian operas from Monteverdi…
Ever since its invention in Florence around 1600, opera has exerted a peculiar fascination for creative artists and audiences alike. A "Western" genre with a global reach, it is often regarded as the pinnacle of high art, where music and drama come together in unique ways, suppo…
Best known as the story from the 1904 Puccini opera, the compelling modern myth of Madame Butterfly has been read, watched, and re-interpreted for over a century, from Pierre Loti's 1887 novel Madame Chrysanthème to A.R. Gurney's 1999 play Far East. This fascinating collaborativ…
A comprehensive exploration of Puccini's most beloved operas, this volume offers concise and entertaining overviews of the composer's works. In addition to exploring the poignant stories that inspired the operas, the guide elaborates on the works' musical and dramatic content. A…
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) began his career at the end of the Romantic period and his death signaled the end of the last major age of Italian opera. During his lifetime and in posterity, the composer's popularity surpassed that of his peers, and three of his works -- La bohéme,…