{"product_id":"a-mad-love-an-introduction-to-opera","title":"A Mad Love","description":"\u003cp\u003eOpera is a visceral, emotional experience. No prior knowledge is needed to enjoy a soaring aria, or to be moved to laughter and to tears by popular operas like \u003ci\u003eCarmen\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e La Boheme\u003c\/i\u003e. But to fully appreciate this centuries-old art form, one must know its history and the many ways its component parts-music, poetry, theater-can be fit together. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eA Mad Love\u003c\/i\u003e, critic Vivien Schweitzer offers a lively introduction to opera, spanning from Monteverdi's \u003ci\u003eL'Orfeo\u003c\/i\u003e in 1600, generally considered the first successful opera, to \u003ci\u003eDead Man Walking\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e Anna Nicole Smith\u003c\/i\u003e in recent decades. Along the way, she introduces readers to the genre's most important composers, performers, and conductors, and to its key terminology, from coloratura to recitative. She recounts the longstanding debates about how best to pair story and song that have shaped opera over the centuries, highlighting some of the ways operas have shocked and delighted listeners. Dissecting opera's eclectic musical language, she equips readers to assess precisely how a particular performance succeeded or failed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is undoubtedly a thrill to hearing a great opera singer fill a beautiful, historic theater with his or her unamplified voice. But today, opera ranges far beyond these traditional quarters; it is everywhere, from movie theaters to public parks and offbeat performance spaces to our earbuds. \u003ci\u003eA Mad Love \u003c\/i\u003eis an essential book for anyone who wants to appreciate this living, evolving art form in all its richness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32092893380691,"sku":"","price":38.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780465096930__6774c5018fcbc.jpg?v=1741134847","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/a-mad-love-an-introduction-to-opera","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}