Benjamin Britten: Billy Budd by Mervyn Cooke
Billy Budd, based on Herman Melville's nautical allegory, is one of Britten's most challenging operas. This comprehensive guide considers the work from both literary and musical viewpoints. Melville's novella is discussed, as is the interpretation given to the novella by the librettists E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier. A detailed synopsis guides the reader through the musical and dramatic action of the opera and in a chapter devoted to the music, Britten's distinctive technique of tonal symbolism is analysed to demonstrate the effectiveness of his musical response to the dramatic suggestions of Melville's story. The most important critical writings on Billy Budd are represented by an expanded version of Donald Mitchell's 1979 notebook on the opera. A final chapter charts the opera's stage history and fluctuating critical reception.
"..a concise, informative study of Benjamin Britten's grandest opera." New York Daily News
"...excellent...enlightening...Cooke and Reed have put together a very useful and helpful handbook..." The Opera Journal
"...excellent...enlightening...Cooke and Reed have put together a very useful and helpful handbook..." The Opera Journal
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521387507 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521387507 |
| Title | Benjamin Britten: Billy Budd |
| Author | Mervyn Cooke |
| Series | Cambridge Opera Handbooks |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 1993-07-08 |
| Number of pages | 194 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |