Great Operas : A Guide to Twenty-Five of the World's Finest Musical Experiences

This guide to 25 of the world's finest operas spans 200 years, from Handel's Giulio Cesare to Britten's Peter Grimes, providing act-by-act plot summaries, musical description, historical and cultural information and composer biographies. With four famous operas each from Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, and two each from Rossini and Donizetti, there is a feast of information. Here are short guides to The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni; to the splendour of Aïda, the heart-breaking La Traviata; the drama of Tosca. The range is very broad. There is Wagner's great love story Tristan und Isolde; there is Johann Strauss's light comedy Die Fledermaus. On the way you can be briefed about such favourites as Handel's Giulio Cesare, Bizet's Carmen, Gounod's Faust, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Britten's Peter Grimes. With plot summaries, composer biographies, observations on musical points of interest and background on the historical and cultural context of each opera, every one of these guides will enhance your appreciation and enjoyment and help you discuss the work and the performance with your fellow opera-goers. Steen shares his expert knowledge with a lightness of touch that makes each guide a pleasure to read. Witty, informative and beautifully presented, Great Operas is an indispensable reference guide for both seasoned opera-goers and those enjoying opera for the first time. From Great Composers Author Michael Steen, A Unique Multi-platform Project Offering A Royal Box View Into One Of Mankind's Greatest Art Forms. From The Soaring Heights Of Wagner's Epic Ring Cycle To The Tear-jerking Emotion Of Mozart's Breathtakingly Beautiful Don Giovanni, Opera Is One Of The Most Powerful Artistic Forms Mankind Has Ever Created. It Should Also Be The Most Enjoyable! Michael Steen's The Lives And Times Of The Great Composers Was Described As 'hugely Informative And Deliciously Gossipy' By The Spectator. Great Operas Is His Accessible And Entertaining User's Manual To Making The Best Of An Opera - Whether At Home Or At A Live Performance, Interspersing The Key Facts With Erudite Commentary From A Man For Whom Opera Is A Lifetime's Passion. Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, provides a compendium of self-standing short guides to 25 of the world's greatest and most popular operas.