Amadeus-Press

Includes full-length audio CD-Over the course of some three dozen volumes Amadeus Press highly acclaimed Unlocking the Masters series has drawn readers into the worlds of the greatest composers and their music. Curated pairings of critically minded introductory texts andcompanion CDs loaded with tracks selected from the worlds foremost libraries of recorded classics the series truly brings the sounds and stories of its legendary subjects to life. Its latest entry Victor Lederers Schumann: A Listeners Guide isan essential portal to the musical works of and tempestuous life of this little-understood genius. Many if not most major composers improve over the course of their careers. For Schumann however the opposite was true: plagued throughout his lifeby physical and mental illnesses he helplessly ? and consciously ? endured the gradual diminution of his prodigious talent until his premature death at age 46. Throughout Schumann: A Listeners Guide Lederer provides unflinching critiques of theweaknesses that plagued Schumanns style contrasting them with the brilliance of his earliest triumphs. This eminently accessible account explores the full spectrum of the master composers oeuvre from his popular early music and lieder to hisworks for chamber ensembles composed in 1842 to his four beloved if flawed symphonies. It also accounts for Schumanns dramatic works particularly Genoveva his only opera and Incidental Music to Byrons ?Manfred ? a bewilderingly unappreciatedmusical score. As with all volumes in the UTM series Schumann: A Listeners Guide is accompanied by a CD containing two of the masters most daring imaginative flights both explored in detail in the text: the Davidsbündlertänze for piano andDichterliebe (A Poets Love) one of the all-time greatest song cycles and works for voice. Geared toward fledglings but written with an eye turned to aficionados the book is a must-have for Schumann buffs and classical music fans young and old.

Libretto Background and Photos-Today Mozart's exquisite Le Nozze di Figaro delights and moves audiences everywhere long after its 1786 birth into tumultuous times. The original Beaumarchais play raised a firestorm in France then on the brink ofrevolution with its dangerous commentary on class relations. However Lorenzo Da Ponte carefully omitted anything political from his opera libretto; what remained when joined with Mozart's sublime and penetrating music was awitty yet profound tale of infatuation heartache scheming and tenderness where complex emotions are laid bare and everyone regardless of class is equally vulnerable to the powers of love.Figaro continues the story ofThe Barber of Seville several years later in a single “day of madness.” Count Almaviva's love Rosina is now his long-suffering countess and the barber Figaro now the count's valet is about to marrySusanna the countess's maid. But the couple-to-be must first deal with two obstacles: a demand that Figaro pay his debt to an older woman or marry her instead and the count's determination to bed Susanna on her weddingnight.Suspicions fly plots are hatched narrow escapes abound and connivers receive their due. Love and forgiveness finally bring order to the craziness and a day filled with torment and worry ends in joy.

The Complete Libretto-The enticing music of Puccini's La Bohème perfectly conveys the enchantment of new young love and the anguish that comes with loss and death. This gorgeous souvenir libretto includes extensive background notes and photos from productions staged through the years by the Metropolitan Opera.There's a reason La Bohème has been staged at the Met more often than any other Opera. The passionate and timeless story of love among impoverished young artists in Paris has a marvelous ability to make a powerful first impression (even on those new to Opera) and to reveal unexpected treasures after dozens of hearings.At firstglance La Bohème is the definitive depiction of the joys and sorrows of love and loss; on closer inspection it reveals the deep emotional significance hidden in the trivial things (a bonnet an old overcoat a chance meeting with a neighbor) that make up our everyday lives. This touching story of tenderness and tragedy never fails to move audiences and melt hearts.

Libretto Background and Photos-A riveting story of fatal attraction between a beguiling strong-willed gypsy and a naïve but passionate soldier who falls under her spell Georges Bizets Carmen pulses with seduction obsession and deadly betrayal. It was reviled at its Parispremiere where its realism and perceived amorality proved shocking but it became one of the most popular and highly regarded operas of all time. Arguably the greatest musical product of Frances enduring fascination with Spain Carmen features manynumbers that are now almost universally familiar including the seductive Habanera and the boastful but infectious Toreador Song. Don José is an idealistic young corporal in 1820s Seville when he encounters the gypsy Carmen who is irresistible toall men - seemingly except José who loves the innocent country girl Micaëla. But soon enough Carmen works her wiles on him to escape imprisonment and a later twist of ever-looming fate forces him to completely abandon the world he knows and followCarmen into a life of crime. When the bullfighter Escamillo wins Carmens affections Don Josés explosive jealousy clashes with Carmens resolve to remain true to herself leading to one of operas fiercest confrontations and most unforgettableconclusions.