A Night at the Opera by Sir Forman

A Night at the Opera by Sir Forman

Delightful and anti-reverential--Sunday Times (London)

With an encyclopedic knowledge of opera and a delightful dash of irreverence, Sir Denis Forman throws open the world of opera--its structure, composers, conductors, and artists--in this hugely informative guide. A Night at the Opera dissects the eighty-three most popular operas recorded on compact disc, from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart's Die Zauberfl te. For each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are worth looking out for, really good, or, occasionally, stunning. He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma (although the Ring cycle gets an X), and Sir Denis has no qualms about voicing his opinion: the first act of Fidelio is a bit of a mess, while the last scene of Don Giovanni towers above the comic finales of Figaro and Cos and whether or not it] is Mozart's greatest opera, it is certainly his most powerful finale.

The guide also presents brief biographies of the great composers, conductors, and singers. A glossary of musical terms is included, as well as Operatica, or the essential elements of opera, from the proper place and style of the audience's applause (and boos) to the use of subtitles.

A Night at the Opera is for connoisseurs and neophytes alike. It will entertain and inform, delight and (perhaps) infuriate, providing a subject for lively debate and ready reference for years to come.

Forman, Denis: - Sir Denis Forman was born in 1917 at Cragielands in Dumfries, and was educated at Loretto and Cambridge. He worked in the arts for many years, culminating in the appointment to Chairman and Managing Director of Granada Television, and then the directorship of the Royal Opera House. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780679445531
ISBN 10	0679445536
Title	A Night at the Opera
Author	Sir Forman
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	1995-09-19
Number of pages	959
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.