Mark Morris' L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato: A Celebration [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Escoffier (Author), Matthew Lore (Author), Alastair Macaulay (Contributor) (Author), Joan Acocella (Contributor) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2001

Mark Morris' 1988 dance, L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, set to music by Handel and poems by John Milton, and inspired by watercolors by William Blake, has been called a work of "utopian grandeur," "a masterpiece of craft, invention, and feeling," and "in scale and complexity, in a category by itself." From London to Berkeley to Houston, audiences ecstatically cheer for it. More than 200 photographs capture each of the piece's 32 interconnected dances and are accompanied by the text of Milton's interwoven poems, "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso," to which Handel set the music. New Yorker dance critic Joan Acocella provides a new essay; Alastair Macaulay and Wendy Lesser also offer appreciations. An overview of the making of L'Allegro, based on interviews with all of the principal artists and many of Mark Morris's dancers, provides an unprecedented glimpse at the creation of this modern-day masterpiece. A glorious celebration of one of the great dance masterworks of the twentieth century, the book contains over 200 color and black-and-white photographs plus reproductions of the Blake watercolors from which Mark Morris drew inspiration. "Possibly the most exhaustive examination of a single dance work ever published." —New York Times "An extraordinarily handsome new book ... A thorough and valuable critique and appreciation of this glorious dance work." —The New York Observer "A beautiful coffee-table book.... Elegantly photographed, edited, and produced. A treasured gift for a Morris fan."—Dance Magazine

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A beautiful new photo book...includes essays...Pictures from rehearsals and performances...document each of the piece's 32 movements." -- Out Magazine

"A guide that makes you want to see the dance over and over." -- Francis Mason, The World of Dance

"A stunner." -- Time Out New York

"An extraordinarily handsome new book...It's a thorough and valuable critique and appreciation of this glorious dance work..." -- Robert Gottlieb, The New York Observer

"Possibly the most exhaustive examination of a single dance work ever published." -- Steven Watson, the New York Times

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569246319
• ISBN-13: 978-1569246313
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An elegantly beautiful coffee table book, December 26, 2008

By 

A. Worden (Naples, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mark Morris' L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (Paperback)

This is an elegantly beautiful coffee table book. Besides giving an insight into the creation of Mark Morris' dance epic of monumental beauty,"L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato," this book is eye candy for the lover of dance. The Mark Morris Dance Company has been performing this extraordinary piece using Handel's music and Milton's poetry for over ten years to enthusiastic audiences all over the world. To own the book is to share in some of the joy of those audiences. It is better than owning an original Renaissance pastoral painting.