Opera As Drama

Rating:
Summary: Obscure words but may be worth the effort
Review: Hard read.

Thanks to Haifa reviewer, I will persist since I share the same view with the the author. Opera can be deadly boring without the hope and fear of 'will he win?' 'will he fail?' of drama. Deadly.

Da Ponte spent a lot of time on Cherubino popping in and out of that chair. The other guys cannot just stand around and sing about different things with him lurking back there.

Even if the roulette wheel may be fixed, it is the only wheel in town. This is all there is out there on opera as drama.

The author may often be obscure but once you penetrate the foliage, he is dramatic.

Rating:
Summary: a different look on opera
Review: The comon view of opera is recitative=drama, arias=music, and therefore not drama. Kerman makes a different (and therefore genuine) claim. he says that in opera the music IS the drama. To illustrate this, he enters a thorough venture in the world of opera, from the first masterpiece - Monteverdi's "orfeo" to wagner and modern operas. The work includes a discussion of the works of such giants as verdi and mozart, and also a critical look at the Leitmotive technics. Kerman is imaginative, provocative, write in a clear language. altough the book demands a background in opera appreciation. It does not demands a musical background. To some it is almost "the bible" of opera understanding. A master achievement.