Bedrich Smetana's comic opera Prodana nevesta/The Bartered Bride is cherished as the Czech national opera and is the most popular Czech opera in the world. As performances in English-speaking countries have moved from German to English back to the original Czech, The Bartered Bride - Prodana nevesta: Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation fills the need for an accessible, detailed guide to singing the work in Czech, as well as being valuable for those wishing to make or improve on an English singing translation. Timothy Cheek provides idiomatic and word-for-word translations of the complete libretto for The Bartered Bride, including the International Phonetic Alphabet for Czech pronunciation, as well as translations of stage and musical directions. In addition, he offers an extensive performance history, a synopsis of the opera, general musical comments, a discussion of the roles, notes on the dances and choreographers, and an overview of Czech pronunciation and inflection. Appendixes list the Czech editions and English singing translations of the opera, as well as recordings on LP, CD, DVD, and film. With a sampling of historical and recent photos from opera productions, this guide is indispensable for singers and coaches, conductors and stage directors, and amateurs and professionals.

Operntextb cher erfreuten sich in den vergangenen beiden Jahrhunderten gro er Popularit t, doch fand bislang die berpr fung und Auswertung der berlieferten authentischen Quellen dieser Texte wenig Beachtung. Der vorliegende Band er ffnet eine neue Reihe, die ausgew hlte Operntexte auf der Grundlage ihrer authentischen Quellen in kommentierten kritischen Editionen vorlegen will. Textvorlagen zu Opernkompositionen erfahren oftmals schon in der Entstehungsphase der Werke tiefgreifende Umwandlungen, von den h ufigen Ver nderungen im Verlaufe ihrer Rezeption ganz zu schweigen. Wichtig erscheint daher zun chst eine Wiedergabe der Libretti in der vom Komponisten (und dem Textdichter) f r die Premiere oder eine andere wichtige Auff hrung vorgesehenen Form. Selbstverst ndlich werden aber auch ggf. existierende sp tere autorisierte Fassungen in geeigneter Weise dokumentiert. Die Texte werden auf der Grundlage authentischer Quellen ediert, sp tere blich gewordene berformungen werden dagegen beseitigt. Ziel ist die Pr sentation eines verl sslichen Textes und eine Darstellung seiner Entstehungsgeschichte. Der Er ffnungsband der Reihe, das Textbuch zu Webers "Freisch tz," ist aufgrund der reichhaltigen berlieferungslage und der Popularit t der Oper ein unverzichtbarer Band f r jeden Opernfreund.

Ellen Rosand shows how opera, born of courtly entertainment, took root in the special social and economic environment of seventeenth-century Venice and there developed the stylistic and aesthetic characteristics we recognize as opera today. With ninety-one music examples, most of them complete pieces nowhere else in print, and enlivened by twenty-eight illustrations, this landmark study will be essential for all students of opera, amateur and professional, and for students of European cultural history in general. Because opera was new in the seventeenth century, the composers (most notably Monteverdi and Cavalli), librettists, impresarios, singers, and designers were especially aware of dealing with aesthetic issues as they worked. Rosand examines critically for the first time the voluminous literary and musical documentation left by the Venetian makers of opera. She determines how these pioneers viewed their art and explains the mechanics of the proliferation of opera, within only four decades, to stages across Europe. Rosand isolates two features of particular importance to this proliferation: the emergence of conventions - musical, dramatic, practical - that facilitated replication; and the acute self-consciousness of the creators who, in their scores, librettos, letters, and other documents, have left us a running commentary on the origins of a genre.

Chicago's love affair with opera began early, in 1850, when the frontier town welcomed its first traveling opera singers. A full house applauded the opening performance, but during a repeat performance the next day, the theater burned to the ground. Nonetheless, Chicago had been bitten by the opera bug, and it has never lost its enthusiasm for the art. More than sixty years-and many visiting opera companies-would pass before the city established an opera company of its own. Robert Marsh recounts the trials and triumphs of the entrepreneurs and the colorful international artists who brought opera to Chicago and staged it in a number of different theaters. In the first half of the twentieth century, seven opera companies were started in Chicago-and failed. Finally, in 1954, three friends launched the company that became Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the city gained a company that not only thrived but earned recognition as one of the nation's great cultural institutions. This book also details the history and fortunes of the Chicago Opera Theater from its inception in 1974 to the present. Singers, musicians, enterprising impresarios, richly decorated opera houses, and performances that held audiences spellbound all figure into Marsh's lively account of opera in Chicago. The story also provides an overview of changes in the operatic repertoire, audience development, and approaches to production as opera grew from a "stand-and-sing" event to its full flowering as enriching musical drama. Enlivened with nearly a hundred illustrations, 150 Years of Opera in Chicago embraces its subject enthusiastically. This broad and engaging overview is supplemented with a list of professional opera performances in Chicago, from 1850 to 2005.

Paul Atkinson explores the remarkable world of opera through his fieldwork with the internationally known Welsh National Opera company. In order to show us how cultural phenomena are produced and enacted, he takes us on stage and behind the scenes into the collective social action that goes into the realization of an opera. The author demonstrates how artistic interpretation is translated into the routine work of the rehearsal studio and the theatre, and how producers negotiate a practical reality with her or his performers to ultimately create extraordinary performances through the mundane, everyday work that makes them possible. The author calls for a sustained investigation of cultural phenomena, not based solely on textual analysis but on the importance of collective work and social organization. Atkinson's work will appeal to anthropologists and sociologists who study the performance arts, as well as to those engaged in theatre arts, opera and music.

Responding to the ever-increasing popularity and international performances of operas by the Czech composer Leo? Janacek, this volume is the second in a series to meet the needs of English-speaking singers, conductors, coaches, and stage directors. Every word of Kat'a Kabanova is translated into English, and idiomatic translations are provided, including translations of stage and musical directions. In addition, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is used to indicate pronunciation, following the clearly-presented method given in the author's book Singing in Czech: A Guide to Czech Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire (Scarecrow Press, 2001). Included are practical notes about Janacek's style, both in general terms and specific issues relating to this opera. A plot summary is provided along with translations of characters, ranges, and the pronunciation of their names. The entire volume is organized in a clear, readable format, resulting in a book that will help to make productions of Kat'a Kabanova in the original Czech much easier a task than ever before.

Not your usual opera guide, this work forgoes the usual synopses of plots, biographical particulars, and anecdotes to concentrate instead on fundamental elements of opera examining it from many angles. With a discussion of such topics as those who created it-the musicians, writers, and artists-the outcome of their work, commissioners and producers, why opera developed as it did, why particular styles became popular, when operas were given and in what environment or political climate, the reaction of audiences, and the span of success. Opera is viewed, as much as possible, from a perspective of what audiences at the time would have expected and enjoyed. All aspects of opera are explained in language appropriate for those with varying levels of knowledge about the art form. Each chapter features a particularly innovative period of operatic history and each focuses on representative and successful works of that era and concludes with a short selection of other works of the same period and style for further listening or viewing. Plates of little-known engravings-seven of Baroque stage productions-and a glossary, bibliography, and index round out the work.

Opera developed during a time when the position of women--their rights and freedoms, their virtues and vices, and even the most basic substance of their sexuality--was constantly debated. Many of these controversies manifested themselves in the representation of the historical and mythological women whose voices were heard on the Venetian operatic stage. Drawing upon a complex web of early modern sources and ancient texts, this engaging study is the first comprehensive treatment of women, gender, and sexuality in seventeenth-century opera. Wendy Heller explores the operatic manifestations of female chastity, power, transvestism, androgyny, and desire, showing how the emerging genre was shaped by and infused with the Republic's taste for the erotic and its ambivalent attitudes toward women and sexuality. Heller begins by examining contemporary Venetian writings about gender and sexuality that influenced the development of female vocality in opera. The Venetian reception and transformation of ancient texts--by Ovid, Virgil, Tacitus, and Diodorus Siculus--form the background for her penetrating analyses of the musical and dramatic representation of five extraordinary women as presented in operas by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, and their successors in Venice: Dido, queen of Carthage (Cavalli); Octavia, wife of Nero (Monteverdi); the nymph Callisto (Cavalli); Queen Semiramis of Assyria (Pietro Andrea Ziani); and Messalina, wife of Claudius (Carlo Pallavicino).

This book presents composer Richard Wagner's formative ideas in a systematic and coherent manner and examines their development and evolution as reflected in his prose, poetry , letters, and music-dramas. In addition to incorporating numerous letters previously unavailable, the second edition has been thoroughly reorganized. As Wagner's political and religious ideas conditioned the works and music he wrote, considerable attention is now placed on the development and evolution of his major thoughts, showing how they evolved and became incorporated into his music.

An aesthetic, historical, and theoretical study of four scores, "Russian Opera and the Symbolist Movement "is a groundbreaking and imaginative treatment of the important yet neglected topic of Russian opera in the Silver Age. Spanning the gap between the supernatural Russian music of the nineteenth century and the compositions of Prokofiev and Stravinsky, this exceptionally insightful and well-researched book explores how Russian symbolist poets interpreted opera and prompted operatic innovation. Simon Morrison shows how these works, though stylistically and technically different, reveal the extent to which the operatic representation of the miraculous can be translated into its enactment.
Morrison treats these largely unstudied pieces by canonical composers: Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades, "Rimsky-Korsakov's "Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya, "Scriabin's unfinished "Mysterium, "and Prokofiev's "Fiery Angel. "The chapters, revisionist studies of these composers and scores, address separate aspects of Symbolist poetics, discussing such topics as literary and musical decadence, pagan-Christian syncretism, theurgy, and life creation, or the portrayal of art in life. The appendix offers the first complete English-language translation of Scriabin's libretto for the "Preparatory Act."
Providing valuable insight into both the Symbolist enterprise and Russian musicology, this book casts new light on opera's evolving, ambiguous place in fin de siecle culture.

Opera: A History in Documents collects over one hundred primary-source documents for students of the history of opera. The varied selections - which include letters, excerpts of journals, bits of libretti, and contemporary criticism - provide eye-witness commentary on the world of opera from its late-Renaissance infancy through modern times. Each selection is introduced by an extensive headnote that both explains the document's context and positions it in the book's overall narrative.

Chaos and Dancing Star discusses the anarchist, revolutionary, feminist and nationalist influences on Wagner, the revolutionary who turned the world of opera upside down. The books and articles that directly influenced him are examined in detail, including works by Bakunin, Proudhon, Hoffman, Stirner, Hegel, and the Marxists. Also investigated is the way Wagner influenced his contemporaries, and the way his work continues to influence artists, political activists, composers, and poets today.

Why do so many gay men love opera? What makes an opera queen? What is the connection between gay sexuality and the full-throated longing that emerges from the diva's mouth? In this book, self-proclaimed opera queen Wayne Koestenbaun investigates the hidden - and unexpected - mysteries that opera and sexuality produce. At once a personal meditation and an iconoclastic, entertaining survey of divas, the book is a moving, and at times curiously disturbing, investigation of the intricate interplay between art and sexuality, between beauty and eroticism. Koestenbaum is not afraid to challenge, and he more or less grabs readers by the hand to drag them, with nonstop exuberance, through the ornate, highly stylized world of diva worship. Traipsing through descriptions of classical performances, musical autobiographies, personal recollections, historical notations and the music itself, Koestenbaum creates the daring, frenzied, disordered, highly ecstatic - and ultimately ecstatic - world of the opera queen.

"A fascinating interdisciplinary study of the interconnected subtexts of erotic attraction, illness, and death in several 19th- and 20th-century operatic texts. . . . This is an extraordinary examination of how opera uses the singing bodygendered and sexualto give voice to the suffering person. Highly recommended."Library Journal "The authors argument is rich and complex; it draws on source, text and music; it is also medically sound. Opera is quintessentially an art of love and desire, of loss and suffering, of disease and death. Hutcheon and Hutcheon enrich our understanding of both content and context."Opera News "Linda and Michael Hutcheon have done a fine job of pulling together medical and literary sources to make sense of the changing depiction of disease in opera. . . . For opera lovers and for anyone interested in seeing good, synthetic reasoning at work, this is a fine study."Publishers Weekly Linda Hutcheon is a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of Toronto. She is the author of, most recently, Ironys Edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony. Michael Hutcheon, M.D., is a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. His many articles have appeared in American Review of Respiratory Disease and other journals.

This edition of Maeterlinck's "Peleas et Melisande" includes English language introduction and notes, and is designed to make accessible a classic text which heralded the ethos of modernism of the late 20th century.

Do you cringe when your opera-loving friends start raving about the latest production of Tristan? Do you feel faint just thinking about the six-hour performance of Parsifal you were given tickets to? Does your mate accuse you of having a Tannhäuser complex? If you're baffled by the behavior of Wagner worshipers, if you've longed to fathom the mysteries of Wagner's ever-increasing popularity, or if you just want to better understand and enjoy the performances you're attending, you'll find this delightful book indispensable.

William Berger is the most helpful guide one could hope to find for navigating the strange and beautiful world of the most controversial artist who ever lived. He tells you all you need to know to become a true Wagnerite--from story lines to historical background; from when to visit the rest room to how to sound smart during intermission; from the Jewish legend that possibly inspired Lohengrin to the tragic death of the first Tristan. Funny, informative, and always a pleasure to read, Wagner Without Fear proves that the art of Wagner can be accessible to everyone.

Includes:
- The strange life of Richard Wagner--German patriot (and exile), friend (and enemy) of Liszt and Nietzsche
- Essential opera lore and "lobby talk"
- A scene-by-scene analysis of each opera
- What to listen for to get the most from the music
- Recommended recordings, films, and sound tracks

Tracing the development of "radical" opera production from the innovations of Peter Brook in the 1950s to leading contemporary figures such as Peter Sellars, David Freeman and Jonathan Miller, this work also discusses the challenge of opera as a genre. It addresses the important question facing opera today, of whether it is to be the preserve of hugely-paid stars or a vehicle for genuine innovation and challenge.

In this ambitious and wide-ranging book, Anthony Arblaster shows that attempts by many music critics to disregard or disparage opera's politics are at best delusory, at worst a political ploy. Writing with passionate enthusiasm, both for opera and for th ideals of freedom it has so often represented, he uncovers the political dimensions of a vast range of works, from The Marriage of Figaro to Nixon in China. Beginning with an investigation of opera in revolutionary France, Anthony Arblaster goes on to analyse Mozart's enigmatic politics, and to explore the work of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and, above all, Verdi, in the context of the Risorgimento. Further chapters examine Wagner's early radicalism and notorious anti-semitism, nationalism in Russian, Czech and English opera, and the weaknesses of Puccini and Strauss. He also discusses the place of women in opera, and concludes with a fascinating survey of the treatment of everyday life in opera and musicals, from Dallapiccola to Sondheim.

This detailed analysis of every record made by Maria Callas examines the development of her art from her first recordings in 1949 to the last in 1977.

Now in paperback! Reliable and up-to-date information on more than 275 operas to assist the producers in selecting work appropriate to needs and resources. The book is divided into two parts-those operas with librettos written in English and those with librettos translated into English. Entries are listed alphabetically by composer and include detailed information that includes title, subtitles, alternate titles, the date created, the date and location of the first performance, the author and source of the libretto, the approximate duration of a performance, the cast (principal and supporting, singing and non-singing roles), the chorus, ballet or dance requirements, orchestral requirements, piano accompaniment, a description of the dramatic or musical style, the setting, the scenes, a synopsis, production notes, and last-known source of the materials. For the educator, coach, producer, director, conductor, or student, an invaluable resource for comprehensive, difficult-to-find information about this highly adaptable medium. Cloth edition published in 1996.

Since the release of Wayne Koestenbaum's book, The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire, gender studies has begun to take an active interest in music. Opera, long viewed as strictly an establishment tradition, has in particular been given a second look by gender theorists. Can opera - an antiquated, Eurocentric bastion of high culture - in fact be subverting patriarchal authority in some fundamental way?

(Limelight). Commentary on and a concise, lucid interpretation of the opera world's most complex masterwork, expanded from the author's popular intermission talks during Met Opera broadcasts. "Anyone, whether knowledgeable or not, will profit by reading it..." Opera Quarterly

Opera is a fragile, complex art, but it flourished extravagantly in San Francisco during the Gold Rush years, a time when daily life in the city was filled with gambling, duels, murder, and suicide. In the history of the United States there has never been a rougher town than Gold Rush San Francisco, yet there has never been a greater frenzy for opera than developed there in these exciting years. How did this madness for opera take root and grow? Why did the audience's generally drunken, brawling behavior gradually improve? How and why did Verdi emerge as the city's favorite composer? These are the intriguing themes of George Martin's enlightening and wonderfully entertaining story. Among the incidents recounted are the fist fight that stopped an opera performance and ended in a fatal duel; and the brothel madam who, by sitting in the wrong row of a theater, caused a fracas that resulted in the formation of the Vigilantes of 1856. Martin weaves together meticulously gathered social, political, and musical facts to create this lively cultural history. His study contributes to a new understanding of urban culture in the Jacksonian-Manifest Destiny eras, and of the role of opera in cities during this time, especially in the American West. Over it all soars Verdi's somber, romantic music, capturing the melancholy, the feverish joy, and the idealism of his listeners.

Wagner's operas can be counted among the most important works of art of the nineteenth century. But Wagner was a composer around whom violent artistic, political, and literary controversies raged during his lifetime. Even today, Wagner's music seems to arouse either adulation or antipathy. In The Complete Operas of Richard Wagner, as in the first four volumes of his famous series on the great opera composers, Charles Osborne first describes the composer's life at the time he wrote each opera, thus providing a biographical thread which runs through the book follows it with a thorough examination of the libretto and its sources and lastly tells the story of the opera, which he links to the major musical features.This book is, in effect, a musical biography of Wagner, tracing his development from his first complete opera, Die Feen, to his last, Parsifal. It serves as an invaluable guide to the often perplexing Wagner oeuvre both for the regular opera-goer and the armchair listener.