{"product_id":"the-operas-of-verdi-volume-2-from-il-trovatore-to-la-forza-del-destino","title":"The Operas of Verdi (Volume 2) From Il Trovatore to La Forza del destino","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe three volumes of studies of Verdis operas by Julian Budden are rightly classics of the genre. This is owing to their scope of information on the genesis  circumstances  variants  and specifics of the operas themselves--certainly the fullest description these works have ever been given--as well as to the wealth of surrounding information about the composer  his life  his friends  and his times. It is a measure of the excellence of Buddens achievement that this cornucopia of information is surveyed in very readable prose--readers get a picture of each work within its context. Buddens knowledge of 19th-century opera--both in Italy and in France--is wide-ranging  and he is able to place Verdi and his works in comparison with those of Donizetti  Pacini  Mercadante  and Meyerbeer. He discusses how the great operatic genius emerged from the background of early-19th-century opera and how Verdis own early  uneven works blossomed into the glory of his later ones. Budden  thankfully  is not a hagiographer  and he recognizes Verdis faults as well as his strengths  but few--if any--writers have managed to demonstrate how Verdi both blended in with his musical surroundings and stood out from them. These studies  with all their richness  are a good source of information about a host of lesser composers of the time. Budden includes many musical examples to highlight his writing in this  a work of scholarship of the highest order. --Patrick J. Smith\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44987027882037,"sku":"ByrdShop_030430056X","price":86.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780304300563_6f694bba-e58a-434a-b0e5-f55fa0c6496e.jpg?v=1772695805","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-operas-of-verdi-volume-2-from-il-trovatore-to-la-forza-del-destino","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}