{"product_id":"the-oxford-illustrated-history-of-opera-9780198162827","title":"The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn its lavish amalgam of theatrical and musical resources  its flamboyant charm  its extravagant appeal to the heart and the mind  and its seemingly inexhaustible power to move and astonish us  opera is clearly the most spectacular of all the arts. Now  in this beautifully illustrated  oversized volume--boasting over 250 pictures  30 in full color--eleven leading authorities chronicle the full sweep of this stunning musical genre  ranging from the earliest known works to such recent experimental efforts as Robert Wilson and Philip Glasss Einstein on the Beach. The contributors--including such noted opera critics as William Ashbrook  Paul Griffiths  and Barry Millington--provide superb coverage of all the major periods. We read of the remarkable success of opera in republican Venice  where by 1650 some fifty operas had been performed  including masterworks by Monteverdi  the giant of the era. We learn of opera seria--which within the world of eighteenth-century Italian opera was the summit of prestige--and opera buffa  most noted today for three major works by Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro  Don Giovanni  and Cosi Fan Tutti. We explore the peak of operas popularity in nineteenth-century France  Italy  and Germany  with astute commentary on such major composers as Berlioz  Bizet  Rossini  Donizetti  and especially Wagner and Verdi. And we examine the remarkably diverse works of our own century  from Strausss Der Rosenkavalier and Alban Bergs Wozzeck to Benjamin Brittens Death in Venice and John Adamss Nixon in China. Throughout  the contributors illuminate how opera often reflects the cultural concerns of the age  how it is part of the social fabric  and in three fascinating sections on staging  singers  and the social climate  they give us a look behind the scenes as well as a feel for what opera was like in the past. We discover  for instance  that before the late nineteenth century  patrons were not expected to arrive on time  sit still  keep quiet  concentrate on the stage action  or stay to the end (Wagner put an end to this practice by darkening the theatre). Not least important are the numerous illustrations in the book  which highlight the richly visual nature of opera  the manner in which it communicates so vividly through staging and costume. Exhaustively researched and informatively captioned  these striking pictures offer an immediacy with the past that both enriches and complements the narrative. Nowhere does the rich panoply of opera history unfold more grandly than in this volume. Authoritative  vividly written  and exquisitely designed  it will be treasured by everyone who loves opera.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648254074933,"sku":"ByrdShop_0198162820","price":33.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780198162827.jpg?v=1781713950","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-oxford-illustrated-history-of-opera-9780198162827","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}