Immerse yourself in more than 400 years of the world's most celebrated operas and discover the fascinating stories behind them. Explore the lives of singers such as Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, and Jonas Kaufmann. Meet composers like Mozart, Wagner, and Britten, and the librettists with whom they collaborated to create the magical blend of words and music that make up opera.
From its origins in the 17th-century courts of Italy to live screenings in public spaces today, Opera: The Definitive Story follows the history of opera from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in 1607, to Cosi fan Tutte, La Bohème, and modern operas such as Brokeback Mountain. It explains musical terminology, traces historical developments, and sets everything in cultural context.
It also explores the great opera houses of the world, such as La Scala, Milan, the Met in New York, and the Sydney Opera House. Opera: The Definitive Story is the essential audiobook for anyone who wants to understand and enjoy the constantly evolving world of this beloved art form.
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Alan Riding is a Brazilian-born Briton who studied economics and law before becoming a journalist and writer. He has worked for Reuters, the Financial Times, the Economist, and the New York Times, reporting from the United Nations in New York, Latin America, and Western Europe. During the final twelve years before he retired from journalism in 2007, he was the European cultural correspondent for the New York Times, based in Paris. Riding is the author of the bestselling book Distant Neighbors and coauthor of Essential Shakespeare Handbook and Opera. He lives in Paris with his wife, Marlise Simons, a writer for the Times.
Charles Armstrong is a narrator and actor whose theater work includes productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, and he was in the West End production of Round The Horne … Revisited. His television and film credits include Holby City, EastEnders, Head Over Heels, Poirot, The King’s Speech, and The Navigators. He has also recorded numerous voice-overs and was part of the BBC Radio Repertory.