Verdi, Giuseppe Books

Il Trovatore. English National Opera Guide 20

Verdi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

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. "If I were not afraid of being called Utopian, I should be tempted to say that to reach perfection in a musical work a single mind should create the verses and the music" - not Wagner, but Cammarano to Verdi as he worked on the libretto of Il Trovatore. Marcello Conati of the Institute for Verdi Studies points out that, although audiences have always adored it, critics are only now coming to see that it represents a step forward, and by no means a step back, from the revolutionary drama of Rigoletto, completed a year before. Professor D.R.B. Kimbell, an expert on Verdi's music, clarifies the story and takes us through the score, while Professor Donald Shaw examines the unusual symbolism of the Spanish Romantic movement. Il Trovatore may cry out to be approached just as a theatrical experience, but these essays give brief and valuable insights into the type of drama it is, and the way it works.

La Traviata. English National Opera Guide 5

Verdi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Music is great; the text editor should be fired 2 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I'm a beginner to opera and have enjoyed some other Black Dog Opera books (Rigoletto and Tosca). As far as I know (remember, I'm a beginner), the singing on this one is great and the opera is great, but the text editor for this La Traviata should be fired! Let me count the ways:
· The listing of the CD tracks, at the end, is titled La Traviata by Giacomo Puccini. Puccini?! (It's Verdi, as correctly stated elsewhere in this book.)
· Track 15, Alfredo's aria "Oh mio rimorso," is lauded at page 90, after the text to track 16! Obviously the commentary on track 15 should accompany the text for track 15. But it gets worse . . .
· The libretto completely omits the text for Alfredo's aria "Oh mio rimorso"! It's just not there; the libretto skips right from the text for track 14 to the text for track 16. I can only wonder what Alfredo sang.
· Midway through the text for track 16, the commentary announces that track 23 begins. (Obviously it doesn't.) On the next page, still during track 16, the text announces that disc 2, track 1 begins.
· The commentary on track 16 is placed after the text for track 17, two pages too late.
· The commentary on Disc 1, track 24 is placed after the text for Disc 2, track 1, two pages too late.

And all this is after listening only to Disc 1; who knows what further editing errors await me on Disc 2.

I like Black Dog and plan to order more because I'm hoping this incredibly shoddy editing work is isolated. But had I known how frustrating it would be to try to work through this libretto, I would have passed.

Editorial Review:

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. In this Guide, Julian Budden reviews the difficulties that faced the management that had commissioned La Traviata and how, in some previously unpublished letters, Verdi fought their views on casting the leading lady. Denis Arnold contributes a musical commentary. April FitzLyon discusses the social background of the "lady of the camellias" in fact, fiction and on the stage, and Nicholas John compares the libretto with the play to show how skilfully it was adapted to for the operatic stage.

Aida

Leontyne Price

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Aida Rocks! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I read this book and marvelled at the incredible illustrations. I'm a teacher, so I shared it with my young students. They didn't understand everything, but they sure did appreciate the artwork and story line. I'm buying it again as a gift for my niece's 12th birthday. She is obsessed with Egypt and Egyptian subjects. The Aida Broadway production recently came through Austin at the Bass Concert Hall, but we were unable to attend. This truly is the next best thing. When read correctly, it pleases the senses so much more (or as much as to some people) than hearing the production.

Aida 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

In the romantic book, Aida, Leontyne Price takes you to a new time and place where your position on the "food chain" doesn't matter. Aida is an Ethiopian princess whose father, the king, is at war with the Egyptians. When Aida was on her first trip over the kingdom wall some Egyptian soldiers kidnapped her without knowing that she was the princess. She was taken to the king of Egypt and made a slave to the princess of Egypt, Amneris. One day while Aida was doing her duties she saw the Captain of the Egyptian army, Radames, and for them both it was love at first sight. They secretly spent time with each other and spoke of running away to Ethiopia and getting married so that their lands can forever live in harmony, only to find out that after a great victory of Radames's that he was to marry princess Amneris. Aida, feeling betrayed tells Radames, that if he loves her, then he will run away with her tonight. That was a very hard decision for him to make because he couldn't bare the thought of never seeing Aida again but he also didn't want to leave his home land. But in the end he chose to leave. So when they started to run, someone caught them and Radames gave himself up but Aida managed to escape. Will Radames and Aida ever see each other again? Or will Radames die a horrible death? Read to find out.

Editorial Review:

With depth and understanding, acclaimed diva Leontyne Price retells this famous opera about the beautiful princess of Ethiopia. “The Dillons magnificently capture the drama with powerful full-page illustrations that resemble stage sets. . . . Ideal for reading aloud during an Egyptian unit, in music classes, to children attending the opera, or for the pure aesthetic experience.”--Booklist

Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera

William Berger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Vivid and Genial Guide to Genius 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

William Beger's "Verdi with a Vengeance" is a triumph of music writing: accessible, informed and passionate. For the newcomer to the breadth of works by the great composer, this guide is a godsend, as Mr. Berger lays out the history of each opera, the story behind its plot and, most important, what makes each one special. He doesn't preach, but his enthusiasm makes a reader -- and a potential listener -- hungry to hear and see the works he so vividly describes. Mr. Berger is a master of the telling detail: he lets you know what to look and listen for in particular arias, and how these moments affect the drama. "Verdi with a Vengeance" should also delight Verdi aficionados, since Mr. Berger is so familiar with all aspects of the composer's art, his research is so deep, that he reveals new aspects of the operas (and the Requiem). His prose is free of musicological jargon, though conversant with the language of music. Mr. Berger can describe economically the emotion music can convey, and he can give a sense of the intellect behind the notes. He is a writer of wit and nuance, masterfully evoking a mise-en-scene within an opera or limning the characteristics of hammy singers. This is a book both to be savored at length and dipped into for fresh insights before attending any performance of Verdi. It is a rare book that manages to be learned as well as breezy, humorous and deeply felt.

Editorial Review:

Everything you could possibly know about Verdi and his operas, from the brilliant and humorous author of Wagner Without Fear.

If you want to know why La traviata was actually a flop at its premiere in 1853, it's in here. If you want to know why claiming to have heard Bjorling's Chicago performance of Il trovatore is the classic opera fan faux pas, it's in here. Even if you just want to know how to pronounce Aida, or what the plot of Rigoletto is all about, this is the place to look. From the composer's intense hatred of priests to synopses of the operas and a detailed discography of the best recordings to buy, it can all be found in Verdi with a Vengeance. William Berger has given another improbable performance, serving up a book as thorough as it is funny and as original as it is astute, an utterly indispensable guide for novice and expert alike.

Aida: Black Dog Opera Library (Book & Audio CD)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Aida - Black Dog Library - Opera by Giuseppe Verdi 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wow. This Black Dog Library production of Aida is superb. The 144 page hard cover book includes two CDs with stunning performances by Biigit Nilsson (Aida) and Franco Corelli (Radames). Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra.

Written by David Foil who clearly knows his subject, the book illuminates a subject that is dark and confusing to many individuals. In this publication, Foil explains the circumstances under which Giuseppe Verdi accepted the commission to write Aida. He follows through with clear details on the scope of the production and its place in the pantheon of grand opera, comparing and contrasting with Wagner and Meyerbeer.

This package contains the complete opera on two CDs; the complete libretto in both Italian and English and critical historical commentary. Last, but not least, there are dozens of photographs that bring the words and music to life.

Editorial Review:

The Black Dog Opera Library is one of the most popular, informative, and budget-friendly ways to enjoy all the great operas. Each book in the series includes a history of the opera, a synopsis of the story, a complete libretto in its original language as well as in English, and dozens of photographs and drawings depicting great scenes, singers, performances, and more. Each book also includes an excellent Angel/EMI recording of the entire opera on two CDs, as well as commentary from experts in the field who guide you through the music as you listen. All of this for less than twenty dollars!

The Complete Operas Of Verdi (A Da Capo Paperback)

Charles Osborne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An indispensible source for the serious student of Verdi. 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I came to this site as the result of the last Texaco Metropolitan Opera broadcast. A listener had submitted a three-part question based on her study of Charles Osborne's Complete Operas of Verdi. She referred to it as a three volume work. I immediately became excited as the edition that I own is a single work. I therefore imagined that there was a new edition. It did occur to me, however, that as this listener is in England, she might just be in posession of a different version of the same book (which I now presume to be the case).

I have owned a copy of this work for over ten years. Having read the work from cover to cover several times, I cannot begin to guess how many times I have referred to individual chapters for reference. Mr. Osborne writes in a style which is easy to read for the Opera fanatic, as well as the scholar. The work contains chapters on each of Verdi's operas (including those which are relatively obscure in The United States). He gives background on the original sources as well as the contemporary historic events of the time.

I reccommend this book without reservation.

Editorial Review:

In this volume, every Verdi opera is explored from four points of view: Verdi's life at the time each was written; the story, and the way it links with the music; the libretto and librettist, and Verdi's relations with his publishers; and the music itself, analyzed with examples from the score.

The Operas of Verdi, Vol 2: from "Il Trovatore" to "La Forza Del Destino"

Julian Budden

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Now available in new paperback editions, the three volumes of The Operas of Verdi cover every aspect of the composer's rich and varied operatic achievement. Marked by extraordinary research and enhanced by hundreds of musical illustrations, this monumental study follows the developent of Verdi's oeuvre from his earliest opera Oberto to his final work, Falstaff. Julian Budden has mined the vast resources of European archives to provide a groundbreaking interpretation of Verdi's work and has discovered much new material, including an unpublished additional aria for I Due Foscari. In addition, The Operas of Verdi has now been brought up to date in light of the most recent scholarship, making it a substantially new edition of a classic work.
Volume 1 traces the the organic growth and development of the composer's style from 1839 to 1851--from Oberto to Rigoletto--and examines each opera in detail, offering a full account of its dramatic and historical origins as well as a brief critical evaluation. More than 350 musical examples make the significance of these early operas to Verdi's developing style especially clear.
In the second volume, Budden covers those operas written during the decadence of the post-Rossini period. During this time Verdi, having exhausted the simple lyricism found in such works as Il Trovatore and La Traviata, found new life as he directly confronted the masters of the Paris opera with his Les Vepres Siciliennes. The new scale and variety of musical thought that can be sensed in the Italian operas which followed is shown here to culminate in La Forza del Destino.
The third and final volume of the study covers the quarter century which saw grand opera on the Parisian model established throughout Italy, and the spread of cosmopolitan influences that convinced many that Italian music was losing its identity. Verdi produced his four last and greatest operas during this time--Don Carlos, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff--operas which helped inaugurate "versimo," in which a new, recognizably Italian idiom was realized. The third volume also includes a new, comprehensive bibliography compiled by Roger Parker.

Rigoletto: English National Opera Guide 15 (English National Opera Guides)

Giuseppe Verdi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not the best introduction to Rigoletto 3 out of 5 stars.
16 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Rigoletto is a wondeful opera that can be used as an introduction for beginners who want to explore the art of operas. Although I like the concept of Black Dog Opera Library that provides an attractive book and recording of a famous opera in a bargain price, I cannot recommend this book of Rigoletto. The major drawback lies in the recording that accompaies this book. I would say it is probably the most disappointing Rigoletto ever recorded by big names in the opera world.

Editorial Review:

Each Opera Guide contains the complete text of an opera in the original, with a parallel English translation, introductory essays, numerous musical examples and illustrations. 'The subject cannot fail!' exulted Verdi, when recommending Victor Hugo's play, Le Roi s'amuse, to his librettist. But the censors made every effort to stop it... and the baritone was not easily convinced that a hunchback role would suit him. Jonathan Keates gives a vivid insight into the composition of a masterpiece. Verdi long afterwards thought it was his best work, and Roger Parker explains why. Peter Nichols, author of several best-selling books in Italy, picks out some of the peculiarly Italian attitudes and characters in the opera which make it timeless—and unnervingly modern.

Seven Verdi Librettos: With the Original Italian (Italian Edition)

Giuseppe Verdi, William Weaver

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Norton does it again... 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.

W W Norton has been for many a year the staple of music students and teachers everywhere. Their classical scores are clear, and easy to follow. It would, therefore, be odd if their libretti didn't match their usually high standards of excellence. This one, obviously, did. The translations are clear, yet poetic, and still easy to follow. A completely worthwhile buy.

Verdi: His Music, Life and Times

George Martin

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Editorial Review:

This book relates the life and experiences of composer Giuseppe Verdi, from his birth in 1813 to his death in 1901. Besides documenting Verdi's life and the music he created, it also goes further in discussing the times and culture in which he was living in 19th century Italy, both socially and politically. "A complete life-to-death biography, wonderfully comprehensive on both life and art, wonderfullly sensible, and splendidly gotten up." - The Boston Herald