Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Opera Handbooks

Idomeneo, by common consent Mozart's greatest opera seria, is a rich synthesis of the dramatic potentialities of Italian opera seria, French tragedie lyrique, and recent German opera. It was composed for the finest orchestra in Germany and some excellent singers. Mozart's relish of the challenge and his problems with some performers and the bureaucracy are uniquely documented in his letters home and these form the basis of a vivid account of the genesis of the opera. A detailed synopsis relates the musical and dramatic action of the opera. Further chapters trace the historical development of its subject matter 'from myth to libretto' and chart the opera's performance history, including a description of Richard Strauss's 1931 reworking. Later chapters consider the opera's general structure and the musical forms, and analyse passages of particular interest.

This book is intended primarily as a guide for the opera goer. It includes a synopsis of the plot, with indications of the themes and motifs used in it, and discusses the style of the opera, Tosca being a typical example of Italian naturalism in operas, verismo. It compares Puccini's libretto with Sardou's play La Tosca, analyses the close-knit structure of the work and examines salient points in the music. It also describes the genesis of the work (quoting wherever appropriate, Puccini's own remarks about it), its first production and early reception. A subsidiary aim of the book is to present the opinions, positive and negative, that have been expressed by various critics about the opera since its first production in 1900. There are contributions from the celebrated singer and producer of Tosca Tito Gobbi, and two other musicologists, Roger Parker and William Ashbrook. Malcolm Walker has provided a discography.

This book is a guide to Berg's second opera, Lulu, written in non-technical language.

This is a series of studies of individual operas written for the opera-goer or record-collector as well as the student or scholar.

Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes is one of the few operas of the last half-century to have gained a secure place in the repertory. Its appearance in 1945 shortly after the end of the war in Europe was a milestone in operatic history as well as in British music.

This is the first book to be devoted to Mozart's opera, La clemenza di Tito. John Rice considers the opera from historical and critical viewpoints.

This guide presents a unique collection of critical, analytical and documentary essays on Puccini's most popular opera. It includes new studies on the background to Parisian bohemianism, Puccini's musical language, and the opera's stage history as well as the genesis of the opera, the structure of the libretto, and aspects of the work's reception.

This book explains how and why Gluck's historically important and best-loved opera Orfeo came into existence, shows why it has retained its popularity, and describes how the opera has been reinterpreted throughout the past two hundred years from its first performance.

Douglas Jarman's study provides a clear and accessible introduction to one of the most significant operas of the twentieth century. He places it in the context to the radical developments in musical language during the early decades of the century and of the development of Berg's own musical style.

This is a detailed study of the earliest opera to have gained a foothold in the modern repertoire. It includes historical sections on the creation and early performances of Orfeo and its rediscovery, and essays by a conductor and a producer who have staged notable performances of the opera in recent years.

This addition to the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series is also the first full-length study of Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail. It aims to familiarize the reader with all aspect of the work: Mozart's writing of the opera and its literary antecedents, its plot, its musical structure, its reception and performance history.

The first comprehensive guide to Richard Strauss's opera, Arabella.

Both a reliable summary of what is currently known about Otello and an interpretation of the significance of the work within Verdi's career. There is a detailed synopsis, an analysis of how the opera was actually written and the book concludes with a study of the opera as a work of Shakespearean adaptation.

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde has fascinated audiences since its first performance in 1865, its advanced harmonic language marking a defining moment in the evolution of modern music. This accessible handbook - perfect for scholars, students, performers and opera-goers alike - examines the opera's genesis, libretto, music, performance and reception.

A full synopsis takes the reader through the musical and dramatic action of this, one of Britten's most challenging operas and further chapters discuss the literary background, the collaboration between librettists and composer, and the distinctive tonal symbolism of the music.

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg is Wagner's only mature comedy, and one of the richest and most profound in the history of music. This book presents an informative and stimulating study of an opera that occupies a particular place in music lovers' affections, yet always has more to reveal. The volume includes a full synopsis, bibliography and three appendices.

Caryl Emerson (a literary specialist) and Robert William Oldani (a music historian) take a comprehensive look at the most famous Russian opera, Modest Musorgsky's Boris Godunov.

Norma is by common consent the finest of the ten operas composed during Vincenzo Bellini's short career. In this 1998 book, Professor Kimbell provides the biographical and cultural context of the opera, examines its artistic qualities and suggests something of the impression Norma has made since it was first produced.

A comprehensive account of Wagner's last, and strangest opera.

This handbook provides an in-depth account of the origins, style, and performance history of Richard Wagner's popular operatic masterpiece Der Fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman). Designed for scholars, performers and the opera-going public alike, the book represents the most detailed discussion of the opera currently available in English.

The contributions to this handbook bring together a full-length study of Elektra in English. The volume examines the many facets of one of Richard Strauss's most complex operas.

This is a book on the best known of the Weill-Brecht collaborations which explores the extent and significance of the composer's contribution.

This handbook provides an in-depth account of the origins, style, and performance history of Richard Wagner's popular operatic masterpiece Der Fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman). Designed for scholars, performers and the opera-going public alike, the book represents the most detailed discussion of the opera currently available in English.

This full-length study of Salome is the first in English since Lawrence Gilman's introductory guide of 1907. The handbook presents an informative collection of historical, critical and analytical studies of one of Strauss's most familiar operas.

This book is a detailed study of Mozart's last opera. The sources for the opera are discussed, and there are chapters devoted to the composition of the work, the authorship and qualities of the libretto, the music, early productions and performance history, and the practical problems of directing a production.

Le Nozze di Figaro (1786) contains a remarkable mixture of all those elements that go to produce a good opera: a sound plot, a well-structured text and fine music. This opera handbook examines the work from historical and musical perspectives, to set it in the context of Mozart's age.

This book explores the fascinating musical and dramatic elements within Fidelio, Beethoven's only complete opera - one of the most admired and problematic in the repertoire. The book contains a comparison of the opera's first and final version, a consideration of its musical idiom and its performance history. It includes a synopsis, blurb, bibliography and illustrations.

This book is designed to introduce the non-specialist music lover to Britten's opera, The Turn of the Screw. The book is generously illustrated and there is also a bibliography and discography.

This book is exceptional amongst those that have appeared so far in this well-established series, in that it is largely written by those who worked with the composer and assisted him during the period in which the opera was composed and first put on the stage.

This is the first comprehensive guide to Pelleas et Melisande, Debussy's only completed opera, written by three of the leading authorities on French music of the period. Contains discussion of play's literacy roots, the genesis and composition of the opera, and Debussy's musical responses to the text.