-
By Instrumentation
Books on Music
-
-
-
Accessories
|
|
|
|
Opera as Drama, New and Revised edition | 
 enlarge | Author: Joseph Kerman
Publisher: University of California Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $1.88
You Save: $18.07 (91%)
New (4) Used (23) Collectible (2) from $1.88
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 794674
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0520062744
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.1
EAN: 9780520062740
ASIN: 0520062744
Publication Date: September 20, 1988
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Writing Present;underlineing present Buy from the best: 4,000,000 items shipped to delighted customers. We have 1,000,000 unique items ready to ship today!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"Throughout the history of opera, if not quite continuously, there have been some who have taken opera's dramatic potential seriously and others who have not. It seems to be the case that over the last thirty years Opera as Drama has helped keep the serious position alive. I hope it will continue to do so in this new edition."--From the foreword to the new edition
Passionate, witty, brilliant, Opera as Drama, although published over thirty years ago, remains one of the most controversial, thought-provoking, and entertaining works of operatic criticism ever written. For this new edition, the first since the book's original publication, the author has prepared a new foreword and provided emendations and additions that take into account some of the critical reaction to the book. He has also added a new chapter on operatic criticism. Updated yet still retaining the verve of the original, this new edition will be indispensable reading for all students and lovers of opera.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 One of the best October 16, 2008
This is one of the most thought-provoking books on music I have read. While you may not always agree with him, Kerman makes you think through your attitudes and ideas. I gained much insight from him and recommend this book highly to those who want to delve deeply into opera.
The Best Polemic for Opera May 2, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Why does opera exist as a form? Why do people attend operas, and listen to them? Why should you do so? This classic, brilliant book by Kerman makes the case clearly and strongly.
Opera is drama; beyond the staged spectacles and emblambed warhorses that seem to draw the biggest audiences, opera exists to convey drama, especially the drama of interior actions, emotions and existence. This is why characters are singing, not merely speaking.
Kerman uses the examples, in case study form, of arguably histories greatest operas to point out why the form exists and thrives, and also what makes a work good, and what makes one fail. He begins with Monteverdi and ends with 20th century works like "Wozzeck" and "The Rakes Progress," while also covering Verdi, Wagner, Mozart. His chapter on Mozart's operas is one of the greatest pieces of musical critical thinking that has been written, it explains the greatness of Mozart as an opera composer and also the near-greatness, and flaws, of "Don Giovanni" and "Cosi fan tutte." Kerman also points out what some popular works fail as drama, and thus as opera.
This is the single best work to introduce listeners to the form. Highest recommendation.
 Obscure words but may be worth the effort March 7, 2000
1 out of 19 found this review helpful
Hard read.Thanks to Haifa reviewer, I will persist since I share the same view with the the author. Opera can be deadly boring without the hope and fear of 'will he win?' 'will he fail?' of drama. Deadly. Da Ponte spent a lot of time on Cherubino popping in and out of that chair. The other guys cannot just stand around and sing about different things with him lurking back there. Even if the roulette wheel may be fixed, it is the only wheel in town. This is all there is out there on opera as drama. The author may often be obscure but once you penetrate the foliage, he is dramatic.
a different look on opera January 30, 1999
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
The comon view of opera is recitative=drama, arias=music, and therefore not drama. Kerman makes a different (and therefore genuine) claim. he says that in opera the music IS the drama. To illustrate this, he enters a thorough venture in the world of opera, from the first masterpiece - Monteverdi's "orfeo" to wagner and modern operas. The work includes a discussion of the works of such giants as verdi and mozart, and also a critical look at the Leitmotive technics. Kerman is imaginative, provocative, write in a clear language. altough the book demands a background in opera appreciation. It does not demands a musical background. To some it is almost "the bible" of opera understanding. A master achievement.
|
|
|
| |
