The Operas of Monteverdi

by Claudio Monteverdi, Nicholas John (Editor)

English National 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. 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 30 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.

Genres: Music

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

L’Orfeo is both a stately tragedy and a celebration of the power of music. Ulysses honors faithful love. Poppea is a historical drama challenging princely rule.

[Ola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to and nice translations of the libretti to L'Orfeo, Ulisse and Poppea. It is ready for an update though (nothing new added since 1992), in particular to reflect the new and fresh approaches of conductors such as Jacobs and Savall.