Spanning 400 years of musical drama, Eyewitness Companions: Opera is your guide to the musical world. Explore operas and composers from the late Renaissance on, including such classical masters as Verdi, Puccini, and Bizet. Eyewitness Companions: Opera is the complete visual guidebook to the great operas, their composers and performance history. Eyewitness Companions: Opera includes more than 160 operas by 66 composers around the world. This richly illustrated eBook includes act-by-act plot synopses and storyline highlights, plus detailed profiles cover composers, Librettists, singers, and more.

Introduces some of the instruments used in classical music, including the violin, trumpet, and flute, as well as early instruments.

"Packed into every page of this book is the excitement of discovery, knowledge, taste and visual beauty. It all gives the reader the illusion of being at an actual performance." Placido Domingo "Opera is a beautiful guide for opera enthusiasts as well as the perfect welcome for converts to this ancient rite. It offers today's and tomorrow's audiences a delightful "navigation system" along an avenue that leads from Monteverdi to Bob Wilson." Stéphane Lissner, Director of the Teatro alla Scala Essential reading – whether you are a seasoned opera goer looking for a quick brush-up before a performance, or new to the genre and wanting to know more. From Baroque to Italian, from Vivaldi to Debussy explore 400 years of music drama from late-Renaissance Italy to works from contemporary names including Philip Glass and Thomas Adès. Discover hundreds of classic and modern opera interpretations, learn about the lives of operatic masters, from Monteverdi to Adams plus, read act-by-act synopses of more than 160 operas from Madama Butterfly and Tosca to Candide and The Maid of Pskov which signpost the highlights of each opera and help you follow the story-line and identify characters. Eyewitness Companions Opera – music for your ears and eyes.

Everything you want to know about the world’s religions: from beliefs and ceremonies to gods and sacred texts From Hinduism to Zoroastrianism take an in-depth look at all the major global religions, past and present. Discover how each religion started, exploring their origins and history, from the moment of its founding to its spread across the world today. Find out all about the Gods and prophets from a comprehensive who’s who profiling deities and holy figures of each faith. Plus learn about the religious practices and traditions of each belief system, from day-to-day devotions to key events in the religious calendar. An exciting addition to Eyewitness Companions; the visual reference series covering favourite hobbies and pastimes from Whisky and Opera to Horse Riding.

A wealth of culture, Vienna puts art, music and theatre at center stage. Whether you want to explore the stunning Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, indulge in a slice of sachertorte at one of the city's grand cafés or see Gustav Klimt's masterpieces at the Belvedere, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that Vienna has to offer. Steeped in imperial splendor, Vienna delights at every turn. From Roman Ruins at the foot of the Hofburg to the tallest tower of Gothic Stephansdom, the city's landmarks are a testament to its rich history. No list of Vienna's treasures would be complete without its magnificent museums and world-famous classical music. Our regularly updated guide brings Vienna to life, transporting you there like no other travel guide does with expert-led insights and advice, detailed information on all the must-see sights, inspiring photography, and our trademark illustrations. You'll discover: - our pick of Vienna's must-sees, top experiences and hidden gems - the best spots to eat, drink, shop and stay - detailed maps and walks which make navigating the city easy - easy-to-follow itineraries - expert advice: get ready, get around and stay safe - color-coded chapters to every part of Vienna, from Stephansdom Quarter to Schottenring, Hofburg Quarter to Belvedere Quarter Want the best of Vienna in your pocket? Try our DK Eyewitness Top 10 Vienna.

A celebration of the legacy of the Village Voice bookshop in Paris, founded by Odile Hellier in 1982—a hub of social life and a refuge for artists, writers, and anglophone literary life for over three decades until it closed in 2012. “My entire sense of Paris centers on Odile and the bookshop.” —Richard Ford "For literature lovers, it’s a feast." —Publishers Weekly ­ In July of 1982, on a quiet boulevard just off the bustling Boulevard Saint-German, Odile Hellier opened the Village Voice Bookshop. Over the next three decades, the blue-shuttered shop would become one of the most famous English-language bookstores in Paris—a vivacious hub for artists, writers, and a haven for anglophone literary life. After the its closing, Odile found herself with hundreds of tapes of various talks given at the bookshop by the greatest artists of their generation. These voices from the past were the spontaneous exchanges of literary and cultural icons such as Susan Sontag, Margaret Atwood, Don DeLillo, Allen Ginsberg, Toni Morrison, Michael Ondaatje, Jim Harrison, Barry Gifford, Adrienne Rich, David Sedaris, Amy Tan, Edmund White, Art Spiegelman, and Stephen Spender, all of whom were drawn to Odile’s tiny bookstore on Rue Princesse. This carefully curated historical archive is an enduring conversation across time, and a memoir of one woman’s beloved store. “… when you squeezed into the narrow event space on the Voice’s upper floor, French and international book lovers mingled with Parisian editors and publishers, shared a glass of wine, a new discovery, a heretical opinion, and took the conversation outside to the sidewalk of the Rue Princesse, for another shared pleasure: an unguilty cigarette.” — Livia Manera, The New Yorker “A stroll from rue de l’Odéon, Les Deux Magots or the Luxembourg Gardens, the hanging sign reads Village Voice: Anglo-American Bookshop. The narrow door and window frames are painted Greek island blue… Lingering a while in front of the window display, you’ll want to dive inside, into an ocean of story.” —Hazel Rowley, Bookforum

Italian Opera in the 18th and 19th centuries was an experience unequaled anywhere else in the world. The unique emotion, flavor, and passion that existed have yet to be attained in any other country. Opera houses in Italy are the birthplace of this great art form. They represent its beauty and richness. More than just concrete, stone, glass, and wood, they are alive, each with a character and history of its own. This work recreates the social, political, architectural, and performance histories of each house by including eyewitness accounts from Italian newspapers, journals, and books of the time. It covers more than 50 Italian opera houses and festivals, organized by their city of origin and geographic region. Each chapter is a journey back in time, beginning with the first theaters and performances in the city and concluding with an architectural description of the principal theater and a practical information guide for visitors (including hotel recommendations). The operatic activities of the main theater, including inaugurations, important performances, and world premieres, are also covered. A photospread, along with brief descriptions of opera-related sites, including the birthplaces, dwellings, and museums of Italy's greatest composers, give an even more complete portrait of the art.

Richard Wagner is remembered as one of the most influential figures in music and theatre, but his place in history has been marked by a considerable amount of controversy. His attitudes towards the Jews and the appropriation of his operas by the Nazis, for example, have helped to construct a historical persona that sits uncomfortably with modern sensibilities. Yet Wagner's absolutely central position in the operatic canon continues. This volume serves as a timely reminder of his ongoing musical, cultural, and political impact. Contributions by specialists from such varied fields as musical history, German literature and cultural studies, opera production, and political science consider a range of topics, from trends and problems in the history of stage production to the representations of gender and sexuality. With the inclusion of invaluable and reliably up-to-date biographical data, this collection will be of great interest to scholars, students, and enthusiasts.

What makes Mozart's music so great? Why does a minor chord sound sad and a major chord sound happy? What's the difference between opera and operetta? From Bach to Bernstein, this definitive guide offers a complete survey of the history of classical music. Whether you already love classical music or you're just beginning to explore it, The Complete Classical Music Guide invites you to discover the spirituality of Byrd's masses, the awesome power of Handel's Messiah, and the wonders of Wagner's operas, as well as hundreds of more composers and their masterpieces. This guide takes you on a journey through more than 1,000 years, charting the evolution of musical instruments, styles, and genres. Biographies of major and lesser-known composers offer rich insights into their music and the historical and cultural contexts that influenced their genius. The book explores the features that defined each musical era - from the ornate brilliance of the Baroque, through the drama of Romantic music, to contemporary genres such as minimalism and electronic music. Timelines, quotes, and color photographs give a voice to this music and the exceptionally gifted individuals who created it.

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