Vincenzo Bellini, Norma / David Kimbell.
| Author/creator | Kimbell, David R. B. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998. |
| Description | xiii, 141 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Portion of title | Norma |
| Series | Cambridge opera handbooks Cambridge opera handbooks. ^A127792 |
| Contents | The composition of the opera -- Medea-Velleda-Norma: Romani's sources -- Synopsis and musical frame -- Music and poetry -- A glimpse of the genesis of the opera -- Some variant readings -- Contemporary reactions to Norma -- Critical fortunes since the unification of Italy -- Five prima donnas: contributions to a performance history -- Appendices. Borrowings -- The tonal plan of Norma -- Liszt's 'Reminiscences de Norma'. |
| Abstract | Norma is by common consent the finest of the ten operas composed during Vincenzo Bellini's short career, representing his genius more comprehensively than is usually the case with any single work by an operatic composer. This handbook provides the biographical and cultural context of the opera. It gives a full synopsis and an examination of the music and poetry, which is rooted in the aesthetics of early nineteenth-century Italian opera. The author suggests something of the impression Norma has made on our imaginations and sensibilities in the 165 years since it was first produced in Milan in December 1831. He considers the great interpretations of the eponymous leading role, among them Pasta and Callas. His discussion also embraces Bellini's work more generally by presenting some of the critical reactions to his music. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-138) and index. |
| LCCN | 97032615 |
| ISBN | 0521480361 |
| ISBN | 0521485142 (pb) |