Turandot (Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series) [Paperback]

Burton D. Fisher (Author), Giacomo Puccini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

A complete guide to Puccini's TURANDOT which includes the STORY SYNOPSIS, PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS in the opera, STORY NARRATIVE with ONE-BAR MUSIC HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLES, and an ESSAY providing background about the opera and its composer, analysis, and insightful commentary.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Other Opera Journeys Publishing titles ALSO AVAILABLE at amazon.com:

OPERA CLASSICS LIBRARY SERIES:
•Aida •The Barber of Seville •La Bohème •Carmen •Cavalleria Rusticana •Così fan tutte •Don Giovanni •Lucia di Lammermoor •Madama Butterfly •The Magic Flute •Manon Lescaut •The Marriage of Figaro •Otello •I Pagliacci •Rigoletto •Salome •Tosca •Il Trittico (Il Tabarro/Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi) •La Traviata •Turandot and The Ring of the Nibelung (without libretto)

OPERA JOURNEYS MINI GUIDE SERIES:
•Aïda •Andrea Chénier •The Barber of Seville •La Bohème •Boris Godunov •Carmen •Cavalleria Rusticana •Così fan tutte •Der Freischütz •Die Fledermaus •Don Carlo •Don Giovanni •Don Pasquale •The Elixir of Love •Elektra •Eugene Onegin •Exploring Wagner’s Ring •Falstaff •Faust •Fidelio •The Flying Dutchman •Hansel and Gretel •L’Italiana in Algeri •Julius Caesar •Lohengrin •Lucia di Lammermoor •Macbeth •Madama Butterfly •The Magic Flute •Manon •Manon Lescaut •The Marriage of Figaro •A Masked Ball •The Mikado •Nabucco •Norma •Otello •I Pagliacci •Porgy and Bess •The Rhinegold •Rigoletto •Der Rosenkavalier •Salome •Samson and Delilah •Siegfried •The Tales of Hoffmann •Tannhäuser •Tosca •La Traviata •Tristan and Isolde •Il Trovatore •Turandot •Twilight of the Gods •The Valkyrie •Werther

OPERA JOURNEYS LIBRETTO SERIES:
•Aida •The Barber of Seville •La Bohème •Carmen •Cavalleria Rusticana •Così fan tutte •Don Giovanni •Edgar •La Fanciulla del West •Gianni Schicchi •Lucia di Lammermoor •Madama Butterfly •The Magic Flute •Manon Lescaut •The Marriage of Figaro •Otello •I Pagliacci •Rigoletto •La Rondine •Salome •Suor Angelica •Il Tabarro •Tosca •La Traviata •Le Villi

AND A History of Opera: Milestones and Metamorphoses

Product Details

• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Opera Journeys (July 1, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 1930841116
• ISBN-13: 978-1930841116
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 3.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,813,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Burton Fisher Does Not Know What He's Talking About, June 6, 2009

By 

wvc - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turandot (Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series) (Paperback)

At least not when it comes to Turandot.

This is a review of anything Burton Fisher is offering with regards to Turandot (libretto, analysis, review...etc). Save your money. Two reasons.

1) - Burton Fisher's libretto is a poor translation with obvious mistakes. For example, in Act III, Scene II, he translates "primo pianto" as "first kiss." It's actually "first tear," and to make matters worst in the VERY NEXT LINE Fisher translates it as "first tear." This is sloppiness beyond compare and certainly not worth your money (the libretto alone costs $9 in downloadable pdf format from his website!). There are other errors and questionable word choices (it's like he went out of his way to make the most awkward translation possible), but take my word that you're better off looking elsewhere. You can find an English translation for cheap from the Ricordi Collection (I found on for under $2 on eBay).

2) - Fisher's analysis of Turandot is completely wrong. He submits to the idiotic "this opera is just a manifestation of Puccini's 'mother complex.'" Besides the obvious difficulties in trying to psychoanalyze a person who's been dead for almost a hundred years and whom you've never met, the theory flies in the face of what's actually in the opera. He dares to write that Liu is "punished" by Puccini because she yearns for base love when there is clearly no better example in all of opera of a more transcendent love. You can check Julian Budden's "Puccini: His Life and Works" for a thorough rebuttal to this foolish line of reasoning. Despite having many women die in his operas, no one seems to accuse Verdi of a "mother complex."

So all this to say I don't recommend anything by Burton Fisher when it comes to Turandot - and if this is any indication I would be wary of just about anything Burton Fisher offers. This Turandot libretto/book/analysis is of tremendously poor quality and confusing if not harmful analysis.

I'm afraid I've yet to run across any trustworthy opera analysis series. The Black Dog Opera series seems to offer decent librettos (in nice hardcover) for very reasonable prices - and from my limited exposure the librettos are actually translated correctly, which is a nice feature. You can find free synopsis of any opera online.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mini-sized guide laden with maxi-helpful information, September 6, 2000

By 

Heinz Dinter (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turandot (Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series) (Paperback)

The Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series is just wonderful; it's like a "Cliff Note" of the opera, and extremely informative and educational. I particularly like the size; these guides are not cumbersome and fit right into my shirt pocket. The ladies will find sufficient room in their pocketbooks.

The story narrative with the music examples is excellent. I prefer it to a libretto; indeed, it's a much easier way to follow the essence of the story. The essay is magnificent; very well written, not pedantic, and extremely insightful and comprehensible. I congratulate Burton Fisher for a job very well done and Amazon for making these handy, information-laden booklets available. The Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series is a wonderful contribution to opera education and opera appreciation.

My tip: acquire the entire collection because you will be in easy reach of superbly presented opera guides consisting of story analysis, principal characters in the opera, story narrative with music highlights, background, analysis, and commentary.

Heinz Dinter, Ph.D.