Verdi With a Vengeance

September 15, 2000
Berger follows his successful Wagner Without Fear: Learning To Love--And Even Enjoy--Opera's Most Demanding Genius (LJ 10/15/98) with an equally engaging look at Giuseppe Verdi, the towering figure of Italian musical life in the 19th century. This overview of his life and work is not thorough but is thoroughly informed. Berger, a librettist and frequent commentator on National Public Radio's At the Opera, provides a brief overview of the composer's life and times and examines the connections between contemporary politics and Verdi's creative output. There are scene-by-scene plot descriptions along with witty commentary--he describes Nabucco's Abigaille as "one of opera's most outstanding bitches, not so much in what she says as in the number of octaves she takes to say it." A glossary and recommended recordings, films, and soundtracks are included. Informative and eminently readable for the novice and scholar alike, this book would not be out of place in academic libraries, yet its personal approach and accessibility make it an excellent choice for public libraries.--Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse

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