The ballet daction was one of the most successful and controversial forms of theatre in the early modern period. A curious hybrid of dance; mime and music; its overall and overriding intention was to create drama. It was danced drama rather than dramatic dance; musical drama rather than dramatic music. Most modern critical studies of the ballet daction treat it more narrowly as stage dance and very few view it as part of the history of mime. Little use has previously been made of the most revealing musical evidence. This innovative book does justice to the distinctive hybrid nature of the ballet daction by taking a comparative approach; using contemporary literature and literary criticism; music; mime and dance from a wide range of English and European sources. Edward Nye presents a fascinating study of this important and influential part of eighteenth-century European theatre.
#696133 in eBooks 2004-11-01 2004-11-01File Name: B005E8AIAK
Review
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Broadens the horizonsBy SkookumPeteThis book is good for someone who. like me. loves opera but is hesitant about trying something new. As the author says. it includes "most" of the warhorses. but there are certainly omissions: I Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana. for instance. On the other hand. there is a generous selection of lesser-known operas for those who want to branch out.The essays on the operas differ in quality. Some are largely plot summaries. others point to particularly stirring passages. others are anecdotal. They do succeed. though. in making you want to hear the music. I followed the authors advice about Les Troyens. and was delighted to discover how much this lesser-known work appealed to me.As for the CD recommendations. the only fault I can find is that the author seems to have stopped buying recordings in about 1976; at least. very few recordings from after the seventies make his list. Hes also heavily biased toward certain singers -- as he freely admits. at least in the case of Tebaldi.Naturally. anyone who knows opera and has some familiarity with various recordings will find much to dispute in the choices. but as one resource among several. this book can certainly be recommended.If youre looking for something more comprehensive. have a look at the Rough Guide to Opera.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a musicologist disguised as a writerBy FredStunning synopses of this otherwise stodgy and difficult-to-understand medium.. Tommasini shares generous insights that place you into the center of all opera -tragic and funny- and he pulls back the show curtain and knocks down the walls ...he lets us see behind the show curtain. places us the reader into the previously secret center. Opera is now unmasked and is available to every one in its full splendor. He genuinely wants us to enjoy opera and each of his anectodes-scholarly. familiar and humorous-show just how we all belong at the opera and that opera contains the story of our lives too. A lifetime of opera study presented in this easily digestible and night-stand worthy book.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Found this really helpful as an Opera GuideBy WayneYou will find this very insightful book of great help to you especially if you are newer to the Opera world. I found that it gets you past the veneer and behind what is really going on. Highly recommended as an overall primer and for those who have been around. Also give you insight on the value of recordings and which ones are really helpful to listen to.
