W. A. Mozart: Idomeneo (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780521437417)

Idomeneo, by common consent Mozart's greatest opera seria, is a rich synthesis of the dramatic potentialities of Italian opera seria, French trag die lyrique, and recent German opera. It was composed for the finest orchestra in Germany and some excellent singers. Mozart's relish of the challenge and his problems with some performers and the bureaucracy are uniquely documented in his letters home and these form the basis of a vivid account of the genesis of the opera. A detailed synopsis relates the musical and dramatic action of the opera. Further chapters trace the historical development of its subject matter 'from myth to libretto' and chart the opera's performance history, including a description of Richard Strauss's 1931 reworking. Later chapters consider the opera's general structure and the musical forms, and analyse passages of particular interest.

Author: Julian Rushton
ISBN-10: 0521437415
ISBN-13: 9780521437417
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/10/1993
Pages: 200
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.47h x 5.45w x 0.48d