The New Grove Masters of Italian Opera

by William Ashbrook (Illustrator), Julian Budden, Mosco Carner

These five biographies provide for the first time a complete survey of Italian opera from the early buffo operas of Rossini to Verdi's great masterpieces, Otello and Falstaff, and the verismo operas of Puccini.Andrew Porter has been highly praised for his original and enlightening account of Verdi and Philip Gossett has received similar acclaim for Rossini. Together with William Ashbrook, Julian Budden, Mosco Carner and Friedrich lippmann, all acknowledged experts in the field of Italian opera, they combine to give a unique insight into the traditions and workings of one of the most fascinating periods in the history of opera.

353 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1983

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The prose was well written. And I loved the anecdotal content as well.

[Ralph Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

So evocative, you hear the music humming off the pages. It says a lot that even with so many masterpieces, it is Aida that is left in the reader’s imagination.