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Have you ever heard the beauty and power of an opera voice or felt moved by a story told in a language you don't even know?
Highlighting 165 works and their composers, this guide is a perfect introduction to opera - one of the world's most dramatic art forms. This illustrated book is packed full of photography to showcase the greatest operas and will take you on a journey through the history of opera itself.
Discover the basics: how opera developed, types of voices, and theatrical staging - including a look at stunning opera houses around the globe. See the composers who first moulded the art form and those who made it their own. Enjoy 400 years of musical drama from late-Renaissance Italy to works from contemporary names, and immerse yourself in the stories of more than 160 operas - including Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Carmen, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly - through act-by-act synopses.
With operatic works throughout history organised by geographical region, Opera is essential reading, whether you are a season ticket-holder looking for a quick brush-up before a performance, or new to opera and want to know more.
Highlighting 165 works and their composers, this guide is a perfect introduction to opera - one of the world's most dramatic art forms. This illustrated book is packed full of photography to showcase the greatest operas and will take you on a journey through the history of opera itself.
Discover the basics: how opera developed, types of voices, and theatrical staging - including a look at stunning opera houses around the globe. See the composers who first moulded the art form and those who made it their own. Enjoy 400 years of musical drama from late-Renaissance Italy to works from contemporary names, and immerse yourself in the stories of more than 160 operas - including Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Carmen, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly - through act-by-act synopses.
With operatic works throughout history organised by geographical region, Opera is essential reading, whether you are a season ticket-holder looking for a quick brush-up before a performance, or new to opera and want to know more.
- GenresMusicReferenceNonfiction
432 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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February 22, 2016Very good. I enjoyed Ariadne Auf Naxos and also am branching out to Messiaen. I can't however help feeling that my finer sensibilities have been completely dumped by the avant garde. Such is life. We grow older and no doubt wiser. I may be unique in hanging on to older affinities. I prefer Mozart and Salieri. Time marches on. I think we lose more than we gain, or maybe not. My opinion doesn't much matter, however strong it still is, and such is the matter of opera. This sort of inner turmoil has no end. I have so much to say on this subject. In pace requiescat. I am happy for you, primadonna. All's well that ends well.
October 3, 2008
I had higher expectations. If one looks at this book as a primer, sure, it is great. The pictures and layout are wonderful, as are all DK books. The synopses of each opera, however, were a bit convuluted and seemed rushed as if the design dictated the text (which very well might be the case). The result? A pretty book with not much content on each opera.
June 12, 2009
I love reading sections of this book when I'm not motivated to practice. It satisfies my quick-fix need to for pretty pictures while investigating composers.
December 29, 2017
nice pictures, descriptions short
March 4, 2023
Citaat : De muziekstijl is veranderd, maar in essentie is opera hetzelfde gebleven: bijgestaan door orkest, decorstukken, kostuums en lichteffecten vertellen de zangers een verhaal.
Review : Opera is heel lang een muziekvorm geweest die toch nogal elitair behandeld werd. De laatste jaren kwam opera dichter bij de doorsnee muziekliefhebber te staan door toedoen van het beeldmedium en populaire zangers en zangeressen die nummers uit bekende opera’s op hun repertoire namen. Dit maakte de identieke opera toch ook toegankelijker voor een breed publiek. Ook in de literatuur vond ik nu een zéér toegankelijk werk over opera terug.
Alan Riding, kunstrecensent voor the New York times en componiste Leslie Dunton-Downer stelden een schitterend naslagwerk samen onder de titel Eyewitness Companions - Opera.
Unieboek focus maakte er een sublieme Nederlandse bewerking van waaraan zowel leek als melomaan veel pret kunnen beleven. Het is een handig en mooiogend naslagwerk waarin heel de geschiedenis van de opera summier maar wel heel duidelijk in beeld werd gebracht.
Persoonlijk lees ik er regelmatig een hoofdstuk in om meer te kunnen genieten van een bepaald muziekstuk op zich. Heerlijk boek.
Review : Opera is heel lang een muziekvorm geweest die toch nogal elitair behandeld werd. De laatste jaren kwam opera dichter bij de doorsnee muziekliefhebber te staan door toedoen van het beeldmedium en populaire zangers en zangeressen die nummers uit bekende opera’s op hun repertoire namen. Dit maakte de identieke opera toch ook toegankelijker voor een breed publiek. Ook in de literatuur vond ik nu een zéér toegankelijk werk over opera terug.
Alan Riding, kunstrecensent voor the New York times en componiste Leslie Dunton-Downer stelden een schitterend naslagwerk samen onder de titel Eyewitness Companions - Opera.
Unieboek focus maakte er een sublieme Nederlandse bewerking van waaraan zowel leek als melomaan veel pret kunnen beleven. Het is een handig en mooiogend naslagwerk waarin heel de geschiedenis van de opera summier maar wel heel duidelijk in beeld werd gebracht.
Persoonlijk lees ik er regelmatig een hoofdstuk in om meer te kunnen genieten van een bepaald muziekstuk op zich. Heerlijk boek.
November 25, 2018
Molto bello...
October 25, 2022
Good intro
May 24, 2009
At the outset, the authors, Alan Riding and Leslie Dunton-Downer, define the essence of opera thus (page 15): "Accompanied by an orchestra, with scenery, costumes, and light adding drama, singers tell a story." This entry on the Eyewitness Companions series (published by DK) is a nice introduction to the world of opera.
The book begins with the infrastructure of opera--librettos and librettists (the words and authors of the words to be sung), staging, and opera houses and festivals (ah, the glories of Bayreuth, La Scala, the Met). Then, a brief listing of major singers--from the castratos to the prima donnas to the tenors).
Then, a survey of operas and composers, from 1600 to the present. The first composer considered is Claudio Monteverdi (page 55), ". . .regarded as opera's founding father." Among his operas--"L'Orfeo" and "L'Incoronazione di Poppea." Among others examined--Jean-Baptiste Lully, Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldo, Giovanni Pergolesi, concluding with Wolfganf Amadeus Mozart and his glorious works.
One of my favorite genres within opera is the bel canto repertoire, of composers such as Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. Nicely covered on pages 129-159. And so it goes. Even though I am not an afficianado of contemporary opera, I am delighted to see that current composers' works are included in this volume, to provide a more complete picture, including the products of composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, Virgil Thomson, Carl Orff, and Philip Glass.
If interested in a wide-ranging introduction to the world of opera, this volume ought to prove quite useful.
The book begins with the infrastructure of opera--librettos and librettists (the words and authors of the words to be sung), staging, and opera houses and festivals (ah, the glories of Bayreuth, La Scala, the Met). Then, a brief listing of major singers--from the castratos to the prima donnas to the tenors).
Then, a survey of operas and composers, from 1600 to the present. The first composer considered is Claudio Monteverdi (page 55), ". . .regarded as opera's founding father." Among his operas--"L'Orfeo" and "L'Incoronazione di Poppea." Among others examined--Jean-Baptiste Lully, Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldo, Giovanni Pergolesi, concluding with Wolfganf Amadeus Mozart and his glorious works.
One of my favorite genres within opera is the bel canto repertoire, of composers such as Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. Nicely covered on pages 129-159. And so it goes. Even though I am not an afficianado of contemporary opera, I am delighted to see that current composers' works are included in this volume, to provide a more complete picture, including the products of composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, Virgil Thomson, Carl Orff, and Philip Glass.
If interested in a wide-ranging introduction to the world of opera, this volume ought to prove quite useful.
January 14, 2010
Contains way more information than I am interested in, but it is a useful guide. It covers operas from the origin to the present and presents a picture of opera across the world. The portions that cover the Mozart and Italian periods I am most interested in provide really helpful synopses and interesting tidbits about the productions.
September 27, 2013
Pretty in-depth synopses of famous operas divided up by region and in chronological order.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but definitely learned quite a bit. A decent beginner's guide.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but definitely learned quite a bit. A decent beginner's guide.
May 19, 2012
Nice potted plots, little Tidbits and odds and ends
May 3, 2015
is good!!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews