Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi

Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi PDF Author: William Ferrara
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442257830
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
In Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi, veteran opera director William Ferrarapresents a detailed, practical exploration of the staging of twenty-one scenes from two of opera’s most beloved composers. He brings to life Donizetti’s delightful comedies, L’Elisir d’amore and Don Pasquale, and guides us throughthe haunted world of Lucia di Lammmermoor. He explores Verdi’s dark themes and imagery in scenes from Rigoletto, and the heartbreaking choices of the characters in La traviata. With signature comic touches, vivid characters, and dynamic stage action, Ferrara brings tried-and-true techniques as well as lively new ideas to these favorite scenes. Topics include study and research, rehearsal planning, blocking, characterization, ideas for simplified sets and props, and costume design. The introduction to each of the five operas includes a brief description of the story and characters, and suggestions for several different approaches to staging—both traditional and modern. The heart of each chapter is the text and translation of the scene, embedded with line-by-line notes on character, movement, emotion, and interaction. This fresh approach to staging an opera scene by applying insights and ideas directly to the text sparks the student’s dramatic imagination and inspires a deeper understanding of the connection between words and music. In addition, by exploring creative improvisations, exercises and contemporary parallels, young performers are encouraged to build more authentic and dynamic performances. Intended for college and university voice teachers seeking guidance for developing a scenes program or opera workshop class, this is also the perfect workbook for students studying opera stage direction, as well as graduate and undergraduate students performing opera scenes by Donizetti and Verdi.

Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi

Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi PDF Author: William Ferrara
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442257830
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Get Book Here

Book Description
In Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi, veteran opera director William Ferrarapresents a detailed, practical exploration of the staging of twenty-one scenes from two of opera’s most beloved composers. He brings to life Donizetti’s delightful comedies, L’Elisir d’amore and Don Pasquale, and guides us throughthe haunted world of Lucia di Lammmermoor. He explores Verdi’s dark themes and imagery in scenes from Rigoletto, and the heartbreaking choices of the characters in La traviata. With signature comic touches, vivid characters, and dynamic stage action, Ferrara brings tried-and-true techniques as well as lively new ideas to these favorite scenes. Topics include study and research, rehearsal planning, blocking, characterization, ideas for simplified sets and props, and costume design. The introduction to each of the five operas includes a brief description of the story and characters, and suggestions for several different approaches to staging—both traditional and modern. The heart of each chapter is the text and translation of the scene, embedded with line-by-line notes on character, movement, emotion, and interaction. This fresh approach to staging an opera scene by applying insights and ideas directly to the text sparks the student’s dramatic imagination and inspires a deeper understanding of the connection between words and music. In addition, by exploring creative improvisations, exercises and contemporary parallels, young performers are encouraged to build more authentic and dynamic performances. Intended for college and university voice teachers seeking guidance for developing a scenes program or opera workshop class, this is also the perfect workbook for students studying opera stage direction, as well as graduate and undergraduate students performing opera scenes by Donizetti and Verdi.

Opera on Stage

Opera on Stage PDF Author: Lorenzo Bianconi
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226045919
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
The History of Italian Opera marks the first time a team of expert scholars has worked together to investigate the Italian operatic tradition in its entirety, rather than limiting its focus to individual eras or major composers and their masterworks. Including both musicologists and historians of other arts, the contributors approach opera not only as a distinctive musical genre but also as a form of extravagant theater and a complex social phenomenon-resulting in the sort of panoramic view critical to a deep and fruitful understanding of the art. Opera on Stage, the second book of this multi-volume work to be published in English-in an expanded and updated version-focuses on staging and viewing Italian opera, from the court spectacles of the late sixteenth century to modern-day commercial productions. Mercedes Viale Ferrero describes the history of theater and stage design, detailing the evolution of the art well into the twentieth century. Gerardo Guccini does the same for stage and opera direction and the development of the director's role as an autonomous creative force. Kathleen Kuzmick Hansell discusses the interrelationships between theatrical ballet and Italian opera, from the age of Venetian opera to the early twentieth century. The visual emphasis of all three contributions is supplemented by over one hundred illustrations, and because much of this material-on the more "spectacular" visual aspects of Italian opera-has never before appeared in English, Opera on Stage will be welcomed by scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.

An Invitation to the Opera, Revised Edition

An Invitation to the Opera, Revised Edition PDF Author: John Louis DiGaetani
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786495197
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
In its revised third edition, this volume argues that an appreciation of opera is based on understanding of several key aspects: history, language, theatrical production, the power of the conductor, vocal tradition and standard repertory. This unique approach is intended for the newcomer curious about the art form. The author discusses how opera has changed in the last three decades and how it is now more easily enjoyed than ever before. Originally published in 1986, this book has been translated into four languages and has been used as an "Introduction to Opera" text in college classrooms around the world.

Opera as Soundtrack

Opera as Soundtrack PDF Author: Jeongwon Joe
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317085485
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Filmmakers' fascination with opera dates back to the silent era but it was not until the late 1980s that critical enquiries into the intersection of opera and cinema began to emerge. Jeongwon Joe focusses primarily on the role of opera as soundtrack by exploring the distinct effects opera produces in film, effects which differ from other types of soundtrack music, such as jazz or symphony. These effects are examined from three perspectives: peculiar qualities of the operatic voice; various properties commonly associated with opera, such as excess, otherness or death; and multifaceted tensions between opera and cinema - for instance, opera as live, embodied, high art and cinema as technologically mediated, popular entertainment. Joe argues that when opera excerpts are employed on soundtracks they tend to appear at critical moments of the film, usually associated with the protagonists, and the author explores why it is opera, not symphony or jazz, that accompanies poignant scenes like these. Joe's film analysis focuses on the time period of the post-1970s, which is distinguished by an increase of opera excerpts on soundtracks to blockbuster titles, the commercial recognition of which promoted the production of numerous opera soundtrack CDs in the following years. Joe incorporates an empirical methodology by examining primary sources such as production files, cue-sheets and unpublished interviews with film directors and composers to enhance the traditional hermeneutic approach. The films analysed in her book include Woody Allen’s Match Point, David Cronenberg’s M. Butterfly, and Wong Kar-wai’s 2046.

Opera in Context

Opera in Context PDF Author: Mark A. Radice
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN: 1574670328
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
These essays by respected scholars examine representative operatic productions from diverse national schools and periods, together forming a comprehensive history of the staging techniques of opera over the centuries.

The Great Composers Portrayed on Film, 1913 through 2002

The Great Composers Portrayed on Film, 1913 through 2002 PDF Author: Charles P. Mitchell
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476609853
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
This book is a comprehensive filmography of biographical films featuring the lives of 65 great classical composers. Performances analyzed include Richard Burton as Richard Wagner, Cornel Wilde as Frederic Chopin, Gary Oldman as Ludwig van Beethoven, Tom Hulce as Mozart, and Katharine Hepburn as Clara Schumann, among others. Arranged alphabetically by composer's name and illustrated1with stills and posters, the text provides a brief biography of each composer and analyzes the feature films portraying him or her. Emphasis is given to the factual accuracy of the screenplay, the validity of the portrayal, and the film's presentation of the composer's music.

Staging the Nation: Opera and Nationalism in 19th-Century Hungary

Staging the Nation: Opera and Nationalism in 19th-Century Hungary PDF Author: Krisztina Lajosi
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004347224
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
Opera was a prominent political forum and a potent force for nineteenth-century nationalism. As one of the most popular forms of entertainment, opera could mobilize large crowds and became the locus of ideological debates about nation-building. Despite its crucial role in national movements, opera has received little attention in the context of nationalism. In Staging the Nation: Opera and Nationalism in 19th-Century Hungary, Krisztina Lajosi examines the development of Hungarian national thought by exploring the theatrical and operatic practices that have shaped historical consciousness. Lajosi combines cultural history, political thought, and the history of music theater, and highlights the role of the opera composer Ferenc Erkel (1810-1893) in institutionalizing national opera and turning opera-loving audiences into a national public.

Opera and Its Symbols

Opera and Its Symbols PDF Author: Robert Donington
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300056617
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Explains the use of symbolism in opera, interprets scenes from Monteverdi, Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Stravinsky, and Britten, and stresses the importance of staging an opera in accord with the composer's intended use of symbols

Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi

Staging Scenes from the Operas of Donizetti and Verdi PDF Author: William Ferrara
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 9781442257825
Category : Opera
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Veteran opera director William Ferrara walks the reader through the staging of twenty-five scenes from two of opera's most beloved composers. He brings to life Donizetti's delightful comedies and guides us through the dark world of Lucia di Lammmermoor. He discusses the hard moral choices in Verdi's tragedies and invigorates the grisly melodramas.

Fashions and Legacies of Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera

Fashions and Legacies of Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera PDF Author: Roberta Montemorra Marvin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521889987
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 303

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Book Description
Leading scholars investigate the ways in which operas by nineteenth-century Italian composers have been reshaped and revived over time.