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Cargando... A Guide to Opera Recordingspor Ethan Mordden
   Ninguno Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro.  therebelprince | Apr 21, 2024 |  sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
This book is a consumer guide, an opera appreciation course, and a history of recording techniques and lore, all rolled into one. With the same wit and verve that he brought to Opera Anecdotes and Demented: The World of the Opera Diva, Ethan Mordden reviews opera's legacy of recordings, fromMonteverdi to Stephen Sondheim, from Nellie Melba to Luciano Pavarotti, from cylinders and 78s to lps and compact discs.There have been guides to opera's discography before, but no single-volume work as wide-ranging and up-to-date as this one: not only the major composers, but also many "minor" ones are represented; and both live performances and studio recordings are featured. Not a mere listing of recordings,but a narrative history of opera since its earliest days, the book provides chapters on the First Operas, Mozart, German Romanticism, Grand Opera, Rossini, Verdi, Russian Opera, Puccini, Stravinsky, Modern French Opera, Strauss, Weill, Britten, Gerswin, American Opera and much more. Even the mostrecent productions, like Les Miserables, and such newly hailed opera stars as Kathleen Battle and Ghena Dimitrova are discussed. Recording information, including cast and label, is contained in the text while a helpful index enables the reader to locate composers, their works, and the recordingsof favourite singers quickly and easily.Every opera lover, whether newcomer or veteran buff, will find the answers they have been looking for in this entertaining new handbook. What is the best Rigoletto? The most complete Lohengrin? The most avoidable Carmen? How does Maria Callas sound singing Wagner? What of the great Ringrecordings -- how does Georg Solti's measure up against Herbert von Karajan's? Has sonic technology improved Callas' classic, thirty-five- year-old Tosca, or has it damaged it? Are "bargain boxes" of records actually a good buy or just shoddy merchandise? Do we really get anything out of ancientrecordings that we can't get in digital sound from CDs? Ethan Mordden's latest work is the perfect companion to steer the reader through the marvels of opera. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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 Google Books — Cargando...GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)789.9The arts Music Composers or Types of music Non Western Classical musicClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio: (3.67)
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Still, that's damning with faint praise. Mordden writes with great clarity about nine decades of recording history. He explores everything you could want to know, starting with the history of opera recording (back when five minutes per disc was a luxury!) and moving intelligently and insightfully through the rest of history. The book also doubles as a potted history of opera (the author smartly judges his audience as being enthusiastic but not necessarily knowledgeable about the works). And his great breadth of knowledge allows him to show reasoned opinions on the works. His is not a "hate or love" Amazon review; it's a work of true passion.
Of course, the 27-year difference brings its own challenges. Many of these recordings remain classics, but there are certainly operas or performers, performing styles or approaches, not to mention record labels, that are now slightly archaic. That doesn't make them wrong - as Mordden so passionately convinces us - but it may challenge younger opera fans or newcomers. So, what I'd suggest is pretty simple. Read this book (or at least browse it) to get an overall idea. It's probably helpful to grab the Gramophone guide, read some Amazon reviews, and maybe do some preview listening on Spotify to get an idea of how the land lies. But you still can't go wrong with this one. (