W A Mozart Idomeneo

Mozart wrote Idomeneo when he was twenty-four years old, and the opera was described by Albert Einstein as "e;one of those works that even a genius like Mozart could write only once in his life"e;. It is one of most astonishing achievements of an altogether astonishing career.In this newly commissioned guide, Julian Rushton explains the special nature of the music in a detailed analysis of its themes and development, while Nicholas Till places the opera in its context as an expression of the Enlightenment. Gary Kahn explores the performance history of an opera which, although largely ignored for over a hundred and fifty years, has now taken its place as part of the international operatic repertoire. A selection of the unique letters between Mozart and his father written during the opera's composition is also included.Contains:Idomeneo and the Background of the Enlightenment, Nicholas TillIdomeneo, re di Creta, the Music, Julian RushtonA Brief Performance History, Gary KahnThe Composition of Idomeneo in Mozart's LettersIdomeneo: Libretto by Giambattista VarescoIdomeneo: English Translation by Charles Johnston

This comprehensive guide charts the genesis of Idomeneo, based on the composer's own accounts in his letters home.

A study of Mozart's Don Giovanni, one of the best known and most often performed opears of the last 200 years.

This is the first book by an experienced conductor to explore the orchestras contribution to Mozarts greatest operatic works: Idomeneo, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Die Schauspieldirektor, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, and Die Zauberflote. It is written for the concert and opera going public who are interested in enlarging their knowledge and appreciation of these masterpieces, but also contains many practical suggestions for aspiring conductors.

The universally acclaimed and award-winning Oxford History of Western Music is the eminent musicologist Richard Taruskin's provocative, erudite telling of the story of Western music from its earliest days to the present. Each book in this superlative five-volume set illuminates-through a representative sampling of masterworks-the themes, styles, and currents that give shape and direction to a significant period in the history of Western music. Music in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries , the second volume Richard Taruskin's monumental history, illuminates the explosion of musical creativity that occurred in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Examining a wealth of topics, Taruskin looks at the elegant masques and consort music of Jacobean England, the Italian concerto style of Corelli and Vivaldi, and the progression from Baroque to Rococo to romantic style. Perhaps most important, he offers a fascinating account of the giants of this period: Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. Laced with brilliant observations, memorable musical analysis, and a panoramic sense of the interactions between history, culture, politics, art, literature, religion, and music, this book will be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand this rich and diverse period.

This handbook provides the reader with the first comprehensive guide to Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Tim Carter discusses the composition of the opera and the social, cultural and musical context in which it was produced, its critical reception and performance history. He provides a full analytical synopsis, a chapter on the verse structure of the libretto and a discussion of Mozart's matching of music to drama. Other chapters also consider relevant topics, including the 'comic' possibilities of the Classical style, and Michael Robinson writes on opera buffa in the 1770s and 1780s.