Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera

by William Berger

Description

Everything you could possibly know about Verdi and his operas, from the brilliant and humorous author of Wagner Without Fear. If you want to know why La traviata was actually a flop at its premiere in 1853, it's in here. If you want to know why claiming to have heard Bjorling's Chicago performance of Il trovatore is the classic opera fan faux pas, it's in here. Even if you just want to know how to pronounce Aida, or what the plot of Rigoletto is all about, this is the place to show more look. From the composer's intense hatred of priests to synopses of the operas and a detailed discography of the best recordings to buy, it can all be found in Verdi with a Vengeance. William Berger has given another improbable performance, serving up a book as thorough as it is funny and as original as it is astute, an utterly indispensable guide for novice and expert alike. show less

Recommendations

A Song of Love and Death: The Meaning of Opera by Peter Conrad

A Song of Love and Death: The Meaning of Opera

Peter Conrad

A Night at the Opera : An Irreverent Guide to the Plots, the Singers, the Composers, the Recordings by Sir Denis Forman

A Night at the Opera : An Irreverent Guide to the Plots, the Singers, the Composers, the Recordings

Sir Denis Forman

The Complete Operas of Verdi: A Critical Guide by Charles Osborne

The Complete Operas of Verdi: A Critical Guide

Charles Osborne

Wagner Without Fear: Learning to Love--and Even Enjoy--Opera's Most Demanding Genius by William Berger

Wagner Without Fear: Learning to Love--and Even Enjoy--Opera's Most Demanding Genius

William Berger

Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera by Fred Plotkin

Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

Fred Plotkin

Puccini Without Excuses: A Refreshing Reassessment of the World's Most Popular Composer by William Berger

Puccini Without Excuses: A Refreshing Reassessment of the World's Most Popular Composer

William Berger

Famous Puccini Operas: An Analytical Guide for the Opera Goer and Armchair Listener by Patrick Cairns Hughes

Famous Puccini Operas: An Analytical Guide for the Opera Goer and Armchair Listener

Patrick Cairns Hughes

Opera: Composers, Works, Performers by Andras Batta

Opera: Composers, Works, Performers

Andras Batta

Verdi by Julian Budden

Verdi

Julian Budden

Wagner: The Terrible Man and His Truthful Art by M. Owen Lee

Wagner: The Terrible Man and His Truthful Art

M. Owen Lee

Verdi: A Biography by Mary Jane Phillips-Matz

Verdi: A Biography

Mary Jane Phillips-Matz

A Season of Opera: From Orpheus to Ariadne by M. Owen Lee

A Season of Opera: From Orpheus to Ariadne

M. Owen Lee

La Traviata [sound recording] by Giuseppe Verdi

La Traviata [sound recording]

Giuseppe Verdi

Donizetti and His Operas (Cambridge Paperback Library) by William Ashbrook

Donizetti and His Operas (Cambridge Paperback Library)

William Ashbrook

Encounters with Verdi by Marcello Conati

Encounters with Verdi

Marcello Conati

Skeletons from the Opera Closet by David L. Groover

Skeletons from the Opera Closet

David L. Groover

Ring Resounding by John Culshaw

Ring Resounding

John Culshaw

Stories of the Great Operas and Their Composers by Ernest Newman

Stories of the Great Operas and Their Composers

Ernest Newman

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera by Stanley Sadie

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera

Stanley Sadie

The Wagner Operas by Ernest Newman

The Wagner Operas

Ernest Newman

Ticket to the Opera: Discovering and Exploring 100 Famous Works, History, Lore, and Singers, with Recommended Recordings by Phil G. Goulding

Ticket to the Opera: Discovering and Exploring 100 Famous Works, History, Lore, and Singers, with Recommended Recordings

Phil G. Goulding

The New Kobbe's Opera Book by Gustav Kobbé

The New Kobbe's Opera Book

Gustav Kobbé

Diva: Great Sopranos and Mezzos Discuss Their Art by Helena Matheopoulos

Diva: Great Sopranos and Mezzos Discuss Their Art

Helena Matheopoulos

The operas of Verdi by Julian Budden

The operas of Verdi

Julian Budden

Aspects of Wagner by Bryan Magee

Aspects of Wagner

Bryan Magee

The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera by Paul Gruber

The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera

Paul Gruber

The Complete Operas of Mozart: A Critical Guide by Charles Osborne

The Complete Operas of Mozart: A Critical Guide

Charles Osborne

Aida [sound recording] by Giuseppe Verdi

Aida [sound recording]

Giuseppe Verdi

The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer by Renée Fleming

The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer

Renée Fleming

Mozart's Operas: A Critical Study by Edward J. Dent

Mozart's Operas: A Critical Study

Edward J. Dent

The Rough Guide to Opera by Matthew Boyden

The Rough Guide to Opera

Matthew Boyden

Verdi's Shakespeare: Men of the Theater by Garry Wills

Verdi's Shakespeare: Men of the Theater

Garry Wills

Opera as drama by Joseph Kerman

Opera as drama

Joseph Kerman

Cinderella & Company: Backstage at the Opera with Cecilia Bartoli by Manuela Hoelterhoff

Cinderella & Company: Backstage at the Opera with Cecilia Bartoli

Manuela Hoelterhoff

The Complete Operas of Puccini: A Critical Guide by Charles Osborne

The Complete Operas of Puccini: A Critical Guide

Charles Osborne

Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama (includes 2 CDs) by Thomas May

Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama (includes 2 CDs)

Thomas May

A History of Opera by Carolyn Abbate

A History of Opera

Carolyn Abbate

Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival by Frederic Spotts

Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival

Frederic Spotts

Wagner by Barry Millington

Wagner

Barry Millington

Verdi (Metropolitan Opera Guild Composer Series) by Paul Hume

Verdi (Metropolitan Opera Guild Composer Series)

Paul Hume

The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire by Wayne Koestenbaum

The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire

Wayne Koestenbaum

Great Operatic Disasters by Hugh Vickers

Great Operatic Disasters

Hugh Vickers

Kobbé's Complete Opera Book by Gustav Kobbe

Kobbé's Complete Opera Book

Gustav Kobbe

The Lives of the Great Composers by Harold C. Schonberg

The Lives of the Great Composers

Harold C. Schonberg

The Operas of Verdi Volume 2 : From Il trovatore to La forza del destino by Julian Budden

The Operas of Verdi Volume 2 : From Il trovatore to La forza del destino

Julian Budden

The Opera Companion by George W. Martin

The Opera Companion

George W. Martin

The Operas of Verdi, Vol. 3 by Julian Budden

The Operas of Verdi, Vol. 3

Julian Budden

Opera and its Symbols: The Unity of Words, Music and Staging by Robert Donington

Opera and its Symbols: The Unity of Words, Music and Staging

Robert Donington

The Experience of Opera (Norton Library, N706) by Paul Henry Lang

The Experience of Opera (Norton Library, N706)

Paul Henry Lang

Molto Agitato: The Mayhem Behind the Music at the Metropolitan Opera by Johanna Fiedler

Molto Agitato: The Mayhem Behind the Music at the Metropolitan Opera

Johanna Fiedler

Complete Recommendations

Member Reviews

Featured Recent Thumbs

All Ratings
4
1

1 review

joeydag 495 reviews

I saw "Falstaff" this weekend and I had wanted to read up on Verdi before I went. The intro to this book is very entertaining and the overview of Verdi's life has a lot of good information. His life was so bound up with Italian nationalism and I'd not read a good summary of the Risorgimento before. The section on Falstaff, the last opera Verdi wrote made me wish I had read it before I saw the opera. A lesson for next time.

On the other hand, Berger goes on about what a bad rap Verdi got from the critics, and I have to admit I am not a Verdi fan, but his writing is amusing.

I didn't actually read the whole book but I will put it on the READ shelf.

Ratings

Sakerfalcon 22 reviews

Apr 9, 2010

All Reviews