Pocket Companion to Opera - Hardcover

Allison, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1857322533 ISBN 13: 9781857322538

Publisher: Mitchell Beazley, 1994

Synopsis

Don't go to the opera without it! Portable, informative, and easy to use, this pocket companion to 150 masterpieces contains both the repertoire standards (Carmen, Die Fledermaus, Don Giovanni, and La Boh'me) and more unusual fare-like Rimsky Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel, Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage, and Kurt Weill's Street Scene. Entries range from Handel's Agrippina to Mozart's magical Die Zauberflte (The Magic Flute), and each one includes information on the composer and librettist; a description of the work's premiere; a list of principal characters; and synopses that reveal the mood and style of each piece, scene by scene. Among the operas covered are: Beethoven's Fidelio, Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Philip Glass's Akhnaten, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman, Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, and Verdi's La Traviata.

About this title

About the Author

John Allison was born in South Africa and studied at the University of Cape Town, where he wrote his PhD thesis on the music of Edward Elgar. He moved to Britain in 1989 to work on Opera magazine. He also contributes to other publications, including the Financial Times, and has written a book on Elgar's sacred music.

Synopsis

Suitable both for newcomers and more experienced opera-goers, this portable guide covers over 150 operas, including many modern works. It contains a brief introduction to composer, librettist, principal characters and performance details, and a scene-by-scene synopsis for each opera listed.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mitchell Beazley
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1857322533
• ISBN 13: 9781857322538
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240