Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera - Softcover

Berger, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 037570518X ISBN 13: 9780375705182

Publisher: Vintage Books, 2000

Synopsis

Everything you could possibly know about Verdi and his operas, from the brilliant and humorous author of Wagner Without Fear.

If you want to know why La traviata was actually a flop at its premiere in 1853, it's in here. If you want to know why claiming to have heard Bjorling's Chicago performance of Il trovatore is the classic opera fan faux pas, it's in here. Even if you just want to know how to pronounce Aida, or what the plot of Rigoletto is all about, this is the place to look. From the composer's intense hatred of priests to synopses of the operas and a detailed discography of the best recordings to buy, it can all be found in Verdi with a Vengeance. William Berger has given another improbable performance, serving up a book as thorough as it is funny and as original as it is astute, an utterly indispensable guide for novice and expert alike.

About this title

About the Author

William Berger lives in New York City.

From the Back Cover

Have you ever found yourself wondering who precisely Aida is, and why all the fuss? Are you embarrassed to admit that you've no earthly idea what Rigoletto is about? Perhaps you've wondered about the nineteenth-century political implications of the suicide in Ernani, or why Il trovatore could be the unacknowledged source of rock 'n' roll, or what exactly was the nature of the relationship between Alexandre Dumas and Marie Duplessis, the woman who inspired the role of Violetta in La traviata? Maybe you simply want to know why so many believe the world can be divided into two populations: those "who think that Don Carlos is the Greatest Thing That Has Ever Happened to Art", and everybody else.

Whatever it is you could possibly want to know about Verdi -- from the composer's intense hatred of priests to historical sources for all the operas to a detailed discussion of what to expect from a performance -- it is all in Verdi with a Vengeance. William Berger, inimitable author of Wagner Without Fear, has once again defied all odds by writing a book as indispensable for the newcomer as it is for the expert, a unique book that is as fascinating as it is helpful, as funny as it is smart.

From the Inside Flap

Everything you could possibly know about Verdi and his operas, from the brilliant and humorous author of Wagner Without Fear.
If you want to know why La traviata was actually a flop at its premiere in 1853, it's in here. If you want to know why claiming to have heard Bjorling's Chicago performance of Il trovatore is the classic opera fan faux pas, it's in here. Even if you just want to know how to pronounce Aida, or what the plot of Rigoletto is all about, this is the place to look. From the composer's intense hatred of priests to synopses of the operas and a detailed discography of the best recordings to buy, it can all be found in Verdi with a Vengeance. William Berger has given another improbable performance, serving up a book as thorough as it is funny and as original as it is astute, an utterly indispensable guide for novice and expert alike.

Edition details

• Publisher: Vintage Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 037570518X
• ISBN 13: 9780375705182
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512