Children of many generations have been greatly impressed by the story of Yona in the belly of the whale and imagined the deep darkness of the "big fish" and the miraculous landing on safe shore. But the Book of Yona also contains a different story. The Christian, the Judaic and the Islamic narrative all show: this prophet must have been a rather stubborn man: He knew how to tell right from wrong and he was ready to bet not only his own life but the life and welfare of others on this truth. This chamber opera explores what such a strong sense of justice could have meant to his own family and the neighbors in his village. How did it affect his traveling companions on the boat when he run away from God's command and headed for Tarshish, the farthest place he could imagine? What did the people of Jerusalem, whom he warned first as a messenger of God, make of Yona? How did the people of Nineveh, who were rescued from destruction by his prophesies, see this man? While all the above people are mentioned in the traditional legends, they appear in Yona as individual characters. The story is narrated from the perspective of Yona's fictitious daughter Shachar (morning, dawn). The scenes of the opera are all set in Yona's house. The time is right after the funeral of the prophet, while his daughter is sitting the seven days of Shiva for her father.

Richard Wagner remains, almost 130 years after his death, the most controversial composer in the history of music. Creator of huge and hugely ambitious operas, which have an immense immediate impact, as well as providing food for endless thought and discussion, Wagner has had an influence on many fields outside music. In this lively pocket guide, Michael Tanner gives concise accounts of all his operas - the likes of Parsifal, Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde - showing how important it is to grasp the dramatic situations at every point, and indicating some of the key musical features. He also provides an outline of Wagner's astonishing life, and shows that he has often been unfairly criticised and made a scapegoat, especially for political events which took place long after his death. Key features include: - Wagner: his life year by year - Wagner: his music work by work - Things people said about Wagner - Essential Wagner: ten great moments - Wagner on CD and DVD - Wagner bibliography This indispensable Faber Pocket Guide provides a wealth of insights into Wagner and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in both and the man and his music. '[P]robably the best introduction ever written to this most complex of composers.' Simon Heffer, Telegraph

Title: Alessandro, HWV 21 Composer: George Frideric Handel Original Publisher: Deutsche Handelgesellschaft The complete orchestral score to Handel's Alessandro (HWV 21) as edited by Friedrich Chrysander and originally published as part of the Deutsche Handelgesellschaft (Band 72) in 1877. Performer's Reprints are produced in conjunction with the International Music Score Library Project. These are out of print or historical editions, which we clean, straighten, touch up, and digitally reprint. Due to the age of original documents, you may find occasional blemishes, damage, or skewing of print. While we do extensive cleaning and editing to improve the image quality, some items are not able to be repaired. A portion of each book sold is donated to small performing arts organizations to create jobs for performers and to encourage audience growth."