Operas of Monteverdi: English National Opera Guide 45

by Claudio Monteverdi, Anne Ridler (Translator), Nicholas John (Editor)

The English National Opera Guides were originally conceived in partnership with the English National Opera and edited by Nicholas John, the ENO's dramaturg, who died tragically in an accident in the Alps. Most of the guides are devoted to a single opera, which is described in detail—with many articles that cover its history and information about the composer and his times. The complete libretto is included in both the original language and in a modern singing translation—except where the opera was written in English. Each has a thematic guide to the most important musical themes in musical notation and each guide is lavishly illustrated. They also contain a bibliography and a discography which is updated at each reprint. The ENO guides are widely regarded as the best series of their kind and excellent value.

Genres: Music

208 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.