A Night at the Opera An Irreverent Guide to The Plots, The Singers, The Composers, The Recordings

by Forman, Denis

• ISBN13: 9780375751769
• ISBN10: 0375751769
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-09-01
• Publisher: Modern Library

Summary

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 Zauberflote. 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 Cosi 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 surtitles. 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.

Author Biography

Sir Denis Forman was for nine years the deputy chairman of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in London. He was a founding member of the Granada television franchise in the United Kingdom and became its chairman and chief executive, responsible for its acclaimed drama program, which included The Jewel in the Crown. Sir Denis lives near London.

Table of Contents

How to use this guide	xiii
THE OPERAS
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR Cilea	3
AIDA Verdi	11
ANDREA CHENIER Giordano	18
ANGELICA, SUOR (Sister Angelica) Puccini	685
ARIADNE ON NAXOS Richard Strauss	25
ATTILA Verdi	35
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (A Masked Ball) Verdi	41
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Rossini	48
BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE Bartok	55
BOCCANEGRA, SIMON Verdi	673
LE BOHEME Puccini	61
BORIS GODUNOV Musorgsky	68
BUTTERFLY, MADAM Puccini	392
CARLOS, DON Verdi	140
CARMEN Bizet	83
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA (A matter of honour) Mascagni	95
LA CENERENTOLA (Cinderella) Rossini	99
CESARE, GIULIO Handel	298
CHENIER, ANDREA Giordano	18
CINDERELLA Rossini	99
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO (Tito the Magnanimous) Mozart	107
COSI FAN TUTTE (Never trust a woman) Mozart	117
DIDO AND AENEAS Purcell	134
DON CARLOS Verdi	140
DON GIOVANNI Mozart	151
DON PASQUALE Donizetti	169
DREIGROSCHENOPER, DIE (The Threepenny Opera) Weill	705
DUTCHMAN, THE FLYING Wagner	254
ELEKTRA Richard Strauss	175
L'ELISIR D'AMORE (The love potion) Donizetti	186
ENTFUHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL, DIE (The Escape from the Seraglio) Mozart	664
ERNANI Verdi	194
EUGENE ONEGIN Tchaikovsky	201
FALSTAFF Verdi	210
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST (The Girl of the Golden West) Puccini	217
FAUST Gounod	224
FIDELIO Beethoven	235
FIGARO Mozart	427
DIE FLEDERMAUS Johann Strauss	245
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Wagner	254
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO (The Force of Destiny) Verdi	264
FREISCHUTZ Weber	272
GIANNI SCHICCHI Puccini	284
LA GIOCONDA (The Street Singer) Ponchielli	290
GIOVANNI, DON Mozart	151
GIULIO CESARE Handel	298
GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST, THE Puccini	217
GODUNOV, BORIS Musorgsky	68
GOTTERDAMMERUNG (The Twilight of the Gods) Wagner	612
HANSEL AND GRETAL Humperdinck	311
IDOMENEO Mozart	317
IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS Gluck	328
L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI (The Italian Girl) Rossini	337
JULIUS CAESAR Handel	298
KHOVANSHCHINA Musorgsky	343
LAKME Delibes	358
LECOUVREUR, ADRIANA Cilea	3
LESCAUT, MANON Puccini	417
I LOMBARDI Verdi	365
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Donizetti	372
LUISA MILLER Verdi	379
MACBETH Verdi	386
MADAM BUTTERFLY Puccini	392
THE MAGIC FLUTE Mozart	399
MANON LESCAUT Puccini	417
MARIA STUARDIA (Mary Stuart) Donizetti	423
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Mozart	427
A MASKED BALL Verdi	41
MILLER, LUISA Verdi	379
MEISTERSINGER Wagner	442
NORMA Bellini	459
ONEGIN, EUGENE Tchaikovsky	201
ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE Gluck	464
OTELLO Verdi	473
I PAGLIACCI (The Comedians) Leoncavallo	480
PARSIFAL Wagner	485
THE PEARL FISHERS Bizet	504
PECHEURS DE PERLES, LES (The Pearl Fishers) Bizet	504
PELLEAS ET MELISANDE Debussy	512
PORGY AND BESS Gershwin	525
I PURITANI (The Puritans) Bellini	537
RIGOLETTO Verdi	542
THE RING Wagner	549
Rhinegold	565
Valkyrie	578
Siegfried	595
Gotterdammerung (The Twilight of the Gods)	612
LA RONDINE (The Swallow) Puccini	636
RHINEGOLD Wagner	565
ROSENKAVALIER Richard Strauss	641
SALOME Richard Strauss	655
SCHICCHIM GIANNI Puccini	284
SICILIAN VESPERS, THE Verdi	763
SIEGFRIED Wagner	595
IL SERAGLIO (The Escape from the Seraglio) Mozart	664
SIMON BOCCANEGRA Verdi	673
LA SONNAMBULA (The Sleepwalker) Bellini	680
STUARDA, MARIA Donizetti	423
SUOR ANGELICA (Sister Angelica) Puccini	685
IL TABARRO (The Cloak) Puccini	689
TANNHAUSER Wagner	693
TELL, WILLIAM Rossini	782
THE THREEPENNY OPERA Weill	705
TITO, LA CLEMENZA DI (Tito the Magnanimous) Mozart	107
TOSCA Puccini	714
LA TRAVIATA (The Fallen Woman) Verdi	722
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE Wagner	728
IL TROVATORE (The Troubadour) Verdi	749
TURANDOT Puccini	756
THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS Wagner	612
VALKYRIE Wagner	578
I VESPRI SICILIANI (The Sicilian Vespers) Verdi	763
WERTHER Massenet	772
WILLIAM TELL Rossini	782
WOZZECK Berg	789
ZAUBERFLOTE, DIE (The Magic Flute) Mozart	399
Operatica	801
The Composers	861
Artists-conductors	907
singers	916
Words words words	935
Friends, supporters, colleagues and minders	953