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The History of Opera

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The History of Opera

By: Richard Fawkes
Narrated by: Robert Powell
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About this listen

Opera, said Moliére, is the most expensive noise known to man. From its beginnings in the 16th Century, through to today when there are as many musical styles as there are composers, opera has fascinated, infuriated, delighted, been censored, been banned, excited riots, even won a nation its freedom. Here is the colorful story of sometimes temperamental composers and even more temperamental singers working in an art form which has produced some of man's noblest artistic creations. This absorbing history is illustrated by over 100 musical examples by Naxos artists as well as some of the greatest singers of the 20th century including Enrico Caruso and Fyodor Chaliapin.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©1999 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)1999 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. History & Criticism Music Opera Celebrity

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Critic reviews

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This book is a pleasure to listen to. Musical extracts are nicely chosen and makes you feel like you want to listen to more music, which in fact I did, buying some operas I knew of but never rally listened to carefully.

I recommend this book especially to those who love opera but are no musicians since it will give them a key to better enjoy their listens.

Very enjoyable read

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This was an entertaining book, but there were a few obvious factual errors presented which did make me doubt some of the other ‘facts’ I wasn’t so sure about. Those kinds of things should have been picked up before production but overall, an interesting book. Just don’t use it as your definitive source.

Overall, a good introduction

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Very interesting thoroughly enjoyed. As an aspiring tenor learning the history of my art I thought it was an excellent concise history.

Very well read!

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Fantastic introduction to opera. Beautifully produced using loads of sound clips embedded into the audible from the wonderful Naxos catalogue. I am new to opera and loved every minute of this. Will definitely re listen to it. Also the narration is clear, engaging, and well paced. 5 stars from me.

Highly recommended

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