Customer Reviews

Rhythmic Gesture in Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro and Don Giovanni

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This is probably the best and most thorough book about Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni available. It was much more useful to me than the Cambridge books, which skim the major areas of study in these operas, and infinitely better than Moberly's survey of the Mozart operas, which is a little dilletantish. Many books about opera are only a list of the author's favorite parts of an opera: 'Hey, check out the octave leap when so-and-so gets really angry!' But this book is full of informative jewels, and reveals the author's depth of understanding of the material, the historical period, and the influences of others. Be prepared to dig deep, because there's a lot in here, and have a score handy to follow the arguments. I only wish it gave Cosi Fan Tutte the same treatment.

This is an absolute gem of a book. Wye Allanbrook analyses each number in the operas, not only in terms of rhythm, but also the other musical elements and dramatic features of each work. An extremely helpful reference for anybody studying classical opera, this book is highly recommended reading for any singer attempting this repertoire.