Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) - Softcover

Hepokoski, James A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521280168 ISBN 13: 9780521280167

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1983

Synopsis

This book is a compact, up-to-date guide to the history and construction of Verdi's last - and possibly greatest - opera. Incorporating the findings of the most recent research, it provides performers, opera enthusiasts, students and scholars alike with a reliable summary of what is currently known about the work. The book gives a full synopsis of the plot and a detailed account both of Verdi's aims in composing the opera and of how he actually composed it: which portions were difficult for him, which he considered crucial, which were afterthoughts, etc. Special attention is given to separating the three versions of Falstaff that Verdi approved - versions that are still confused in almost all performances today. Professor Hepokoski also supplies extensive discussions of Boito's derivation of the plot and text from Shakespeare (and others); of the musical technique and structure of Falstaff; and of Verdi's own guidelines for interpretation, staging and singing. A guide to critical assessments of the opera illustrates the widely differing receptions the opera has had in the twentieth century, and a concluding essay by Graham Bradshaw discusses Shakespearean aspects of both Otello and Falstaff. The book contains a bibliography, a discography (by Malcolm Walker), illustrations of the original stage designs and costumes, and extensive musical examples.

About this title

Book Description:

Incorporating the findings of the most recent research, this compact and up-to-date guide to Verdi's Falstaff provides a reliable summary of what is currently known about the work. It includes a synopsis of the plot and an account both of Verdi's aims in composing the opera and of how he actually composed it.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1983
• ISBN 10: 0521280168
• ISBN 13: 9780521280167
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192