Opera - Norfolk Public Library

The Virginia Opera
Booklist
2013-2014
The Virginia Opera, founded in Norfolk in 1974, is the Official Opera Company of the
Commonwealth of Virginia. The company produces five mainstage productions including at the
Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, and in Richmond and Fairfax. Virginia
Opera is the only opera company to perform a full season of opera in three separate mainstage
venues and to reach more than 150,000 students and community members each year through
its innovative Education and Community Outreach Program.
The 2013-2014 season runs September 2013 until May 2014. Seasoned operagoers often do a
little preparation to become more familiar with an opera before attending. Even when sung in
English or with English supertitles, learning a little more will make it all the more enjoyable. So
that you are more familiar with the music and stories before attending, this list includes a
selection of music CDs, DVDs, scores, and books in NPL’s collections of and about this season’s
Virginia Opera performances. Descriptions are from the company’s website and the NPL online
catalog.
For more selections for other special events and cultural heritage months, see prior years’
booklists on the Library’s webpage under the “Books & More” dropdown menu, click on
“Reading Recommendations,” and on “Bibliographies.”
Falstaff by Giuseppe Verde
He’s rotund, old, lecherous and broke, yet Falstaff is one of the most endearing
characters in literature. William Shakespeare’s aging knight comes to life in this effervescent
Verdi gem, as his scheme to get rich by simultaneously wooing two wealthy married women
backfires…badly. In a hysterical twist, Falstaff finds himself the victim of his own tomfoolery,
and at the mercy of those he tormented. But there are still a few tricks to be played, and the
prince of rascality always has the last laugh!
2013-2014 Opera
Bibliography
Falstaff - DVD
The spectacular opening production of London’s newly restored Royal Opera
House, first broadcast live on BBC television in December 1999, brings a riot of
color to Verdi’s great Shakespearean masterpiece. Bryn Terfel as Sir John Falstaff
and Barbara Frittoli as Alice Ford lead a star cast with the Orchestra and Chorus
of the Royal Opera House under the direction of Bernard Haitink.
Falstaff – Music CD
This performance stars Renato Bruson, Katia Ricciarelli, Leo Nucci, Barbara
Hendricks, Dalmacio Gonzalez, and Lucia Valentini Terrani in a performance with
the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra,
Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor.
Falstaff – Music Score
Verdi’s last great work and his first and only comedy. Complete unabridged score
from original Ricordi edition.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
(William Shakespeare; edited by David Crane) Falstaff: drunkard, sloth,
and...paramour? Read the original play by Shakespeare. This edition includes a
look at Shakespeare’s free and vigorous use of different linguistic worlds within
the play.
The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Join the dashing Prince Tamino in his quest for truth, honor, and a beautiful damsel in
distress, who—true to fairytale form—he falls madly in love with, despite having never met.
Mozart’s fantastical tale draws you into a world of magic-realism, complete with a giant
serpent, moody monarchs, a secret brotherhood, and one very lovesick bird catcher.
Die Zauberflöte für Kinder
This children’s version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute was performed in the
Felsenreitschule in Salzburg, James Levine, conductor. No adults were admitted
to the performance unless they were accompanied by two children. Christian
Boesch as Papageno plays the narrator who explains both the plot and why there
is such a thing as opera where words are sung rather than spoken.
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2013-2014 Opera
Bibliography
Von Winter: Das Labyrinth (Part Two of the Magic Flute) -- DVD
In 1798, Peter von Winter was commissioned to write a score for a text that
Emanuel Schikaneder, the librettist for The Magic Flute, had written as a sequel to
Mozart’s 1791 masterpiece. This revival from the 2012 Salzburg Festival offers a
rare opportunity to experience an unusual work that will likely fascinate opera
fans
The Magic Flute - DVD
This 2006 movie adaptation, directed by Kenneth Branagh, takes place on the eve
of the First World War where a magical drama unfolds as Tamino sets forth on a
perilous journey in pursuit of love, light and peace in a world afflicted by
darkness, death and destruction. An eerie quiet descends over a landscape still
untouched by conflict as Tamino waits anxiously with his fellow recruits for the
command to go into battle. What ensues is a spectacular musical adventure in
which the blossoming love between Tamino and Pamina, the beautiful daughter
of the Queen of the Night, may help determine the fate of a nation and the
destiny of millions.
The Magic Flute
(Retold by Anne Gatti; illustrated by Peter Malone) Enter a magical world of
monster serpents, mysterious ladies, and flying machines where giant flowers
and butterflies the size of birds abound. This book retells the story of the
Mozart opera in which the noble Prince Tamino seeks the fair Pamina against a
backdrop of the battle between darkness and light.
Seven Mozart Librettos: A Verse Translation
(J.D. McClatchy) A poet and editor of the Yale Review translates seven of Mozart’s
major librettos, including The Magic Flute, into lush and sparkling verse. This
lavish book features dramatic recaps, a history of the opera and character lists.
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2013-2014 Opera
Bibliography
Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss
It’s party time! Vienna’s most lavish aristocrat is throwing the biggest bash of the
season. Two groups of performers—a burlesque troupe and an opera company—are set to
provide the entertainment, but when dinner runs late, the host orders both groups to perform
together, creating a head-on collision between low humor and high art. When saucy flirt
Zerbinetta, start of the burlesque troupe, tells Ariadne, the opera’s suicidal, lovelorn star, to
‘get over it’ and find another man, tragic opera suddenly becomes romantic
comedy.
Ariadne auf Naxos – DVD
Filmed live in Baden-Baden by the veteran director Brian Large, Renée Fleming
makes her debut in the role of Ariadne together with fellow key Strauss
interpreters Sophie Koch and Christian Thielemann, following on from their
Rosenkavalier triumph.
Ariadne auf Naxos – Music CD
At the height of her career, Jessye Norman is part of this sonorous ensemble
as Kurt Masur conducts the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in this triumphant
recording of the 1988 Leipzig performance.
Carmen by Georges Bizet
When she’s not making cigarettes at the factory in Seville, Carmen is busy making
trouble. This gypsy should come with a warning label! Unfortunately, naïve army corporal, Don
José, is out of the loop. Boy meets girl and becomes so besotted that he wrecks his career and
his life for her. When she drops him for the next man to come along—a dashing Toreador—her
fancy decides her fate. Bizet’s masterpiece is the perfect combination of passion and drama,
featuring the most seductive score in opera!
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2013-2014 Opera
Bibliography
Carmen - DVD
The Metropolitan Opera presents this Great Performances presentation filmed
2010: described as the “sexiest Carmen yet.” Sung by Elīna Garanča, Roberto
Alagna, Barbara Frittoli, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and
concocted by Peter Gelb with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and
Ballet.
Carmen
(Prosper Mérimée) Read the original 1845 novella that inspired Bizet’s opera.
Bizet’s Carmen – Music Score
This score includes the complete French libretto alongside English translation and alternate
opening of Act Four with translation, plot summary, and an informative introduction.
Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim
The cautionary tale of Sweeney Todd—a barber unjustly imprisoned by a corrupt
judge—is gleefully dark entertainment. Todd returns to London, mad with revenge after his
incarceration, and promptly slits the throats of the unlucky customers who enter his
barbershop. But what to do with those pesky bodies? Enter Mrs. Lovett—his neighbor with a
very secret recipe. Their gruesome plan seems to work... until things take a turn for the
domestic and the Demon Barber’s past catches up to him.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There are several movie adaptations of Sweeney Todd. This 2007 production stars
Johnny Depp. The 1982 edition stars Angela Lansbury, George Hearn, and the
original Broadway cast on a national tour.
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street: A Musical Thriller – Music Score
(Stephen Sondheim) The library has several musical scores of Sweeney Todd
including a vocal/piano adaptation.
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2013-2014 Opera
Bibliography
Adult
The following is a selected list of books about opera in general. We also have the popular book
Opera for Dummies.
How to Listen to and Understand Opera – Audiobook on CD
With this audiobook lecture series from The Teaching Company, you’ll learn to understand and
appreciate, or appreciate even more, the unique art form and power of opera.
Opera
(Alan Riding & Leslie Dunton-Downer) Spanning 400 years of musical drama, from
the late Renaissance and including such classical masters as Verdi, Puccini, and
Bizet, this DK Eyewitness Companions guide is the complete visual guidebook to the
great operas, their composers and performance history.
Juvenile and Young Adult
The following is a selected list of books about opera for young people.
The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera
(Shahrukh Husain) With exciting, accessible and action-packed stories from
operas by seven great composers, this book provides a wonderful way for
children to explore this magnificent performing art.
Carmen: An Urban Adaptation of the Opera -- Young Adult
(Walter Dean Myers) In this retelling, a policeman’s obsessive love for a
tempestuous wig factory worker ends in tragedy in this updated and sizzling
version of Bizet’s Carmen, set in Spanish Harlem, and told in screenplay format
Encore, Opera Cat!
(Tess Weaver; Andréa Wesson, ill.) Talented singer and lover of opera, Alma the
cat enjoys performing for her appreciative owner, and when Madame SoSo
convinces her to share her special gift with the world, Alma’s fears are quickly
put to rest once she hears the wild applause from the crowd.
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2013-2014 Opera
Bibliography
The Haunted Opera: A Marie-Grace Mystery
(Sarah Masters Buckey) In this American Girl book, Marie-Grace is excited that a
well-known English opera company will perform at the very theater where she
takes singing lessons from Aunt Océane, but as she and her friend Cécile help out
backstage, the make disturbing discoveries.
Usborne Learn to Play Opera Tunes – Music Score
Well illustrated historical material accompanies simple yet faithful piano
arrangements of well-known opera tunes for students learning to play the
piano.
Websites
The following is a short list of websites related to Opera in Virginia and beyond.
The Virginia Opera
http://www.vaopera.org/
Learn more about the above listed operas performed this season in Virginia.
Lyric Opera Virginia
http://www.lyricoperavirginia.org/
Information about the operas and musical theatrical works performed this season in Virginia.
The 2013-2012 season includes Viva Verdi!, Broadway and Beyond, La Vie de Bohème, and
Master Class.
The Metropolitan Opera
http://www.metoperafamily.org/
Learn more about the operas performed this season on stage in New York and broadcast live by
radio, online, and to movie theaters. Includes print and audio interviews. Also links to the
Metropolitan Opera Guild and Opera News.
World of Opera
http://www.worldofopera.org/
World of Opera with host Lisa Simeone is a weekly radio program that brings listeners
compelling performances from top American and international opera companies. World of
Opera encompasses the seminal operas of centuries past as well as today’s masterpieces. The
website includes a media player to listen to episodes.
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