Giuseppe Verdi, Falstaff / James A. Hepokoski.
| Author/creator | Hepokoski, James A., 1946- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1983. |
| Description | x, 181 pages : illustrations, music ; 23 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Cambridge opera handbooks Cambridge opera handbooks. ^A127792 |
| Contents | Synopsis -- The forging of the libretto -- The composition of the opera -- Milan, Rome, and Paris: three versions of Falstaff -- Musical technique and structure. Formal design ; Harmonic practice ; The structure of II.i -- The interpretation of Falstaff: Verdi's guidelines -- A brief stage history -- A guide to critical assessments and interpretations. The place of Falstaff in the Verdian oeuvre, the Wagner problem ; Falstaff as 'Typological Figure': three recent interpretations -- A Shakespearean perspective: Verdi and Boito as translators. |
| Abstract | This book is a compact, up-to-date guide to the history and construction of Verdi's last--and possibly greatest--opera. Incorporating the findings of the most recent research, it provides performers, opera enthusiasts, students and scholars alike with a reliable summary of what is currently known about the work. The book gives a full synopsis of the plot and a detailed account both of Verdi's aims in composing the opera and of how he actually composed it: which portions were difficult for him, which he considered crucial, which were afterthoughts, etc. Special attention is given to separating the three versions of Falstaff that Verdi approved--versions that are still confused in almost all performances today. The author also supplies extensive discussions of Boito's derivation of the plot and text from Shakespeare (and others); of the musical technique and structure of Falstaff; and of Verdi's own guidelines for interpretation, staging and singing. A guide to critical assessments of the opera illustrates the widely differing receptions the opera has had in the twentieth century, and a concluding essay by Graham Bradshaw discusses Shakespearean aspects of both Otello and Falstaff. The book contains a bibliography, a discography (by Malcolm Walker), illustrations of the original stage designs and costumes, and extensive musical examples. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 172-175), discography (pages 176-177), and index. |
| LCCN | 82023493 |
| ISBN | 0521235340 |
| ISBN | 0521280168 (pbk.) |