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Author: Kenneth McLeish
Publisher:
Published: 1998
Total Pages: 249
ISBN-13: 9780571191833
DOWNLOAD EBOOKSynopsizes each play, describes main characters, notes historical sources, and offers a brief critical essay on each play
Author: Kenneth McLeish
Publisher: Faber & Faber Limited
Published: 2007
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9780571237456
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA concise, essential guide to Shakespeare and his 36 plays.
Author: J. C. Trewin
Publisher: Miller/Mitchell Beazley
Published: 1994
Total Pages: 192
ISBN-13: 9781857323405
DOWNLOAD EBOOKEveryone knows which Shakespearean character said "To be or not to be..". -- but what about the details of Timon of Athens or Cymbeline? Whether you're a student looking for an ideal reference or a theater-goer who wants a quick brush-up before attending a play, enlightenment comes in a very compact and portable form. For each of Shakespeare's 38 plays there is a synopsis of the plot; a list of characters, with notes on the major ones; and a resume of its performance history. You also get a critique of the poems and sonnets, background on Shakespearean theater in Britain and the United States, as well as on the early actors; information on the "Apocrypha" (various plays not included in the First Folio, but attributed to the Bard); and a selected glossary of Elizabethan English.
Author: Michael Tanner
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2010-05-06
Total Pages: 240
ISBN-13: 0571258484
DOWNLOAD EBOOKRichard Wagner remains, almost 130 years after his death, the most controversial composer in the history of music. Creator of huge and hugely ambitious operas, which have an immense immediate impact, as well as providing food for endless thought and discussion, Wagner has had an influence on many fields outside music. In this lively pocket guide, Michael Tanner gives concise accounts of all his operas - the likes of Parsifal, Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde - showing how important it is to grasp the dramatic situations at every point, and indicating some of the key musical features. He also provides an outline of Wagner's astonishing life, and shows that he has often been unfairly criticised and made a scapegoat, especially for political events which took place long after his death. Key features include: - Wagner: his life year by year - Wagner: his music work by work - Things people said about Wagner - Essential Wagner: ten great moments - Wagner on CD and DVD - Wagner bibliography This indispensable Faber Pocket Guide provides a wealth of insights into Wagner and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in both and the man and his music. '[P]robably the best introduction ever written to this most complex of composers.' Simon Heffer, Telegraph
Author: John Bridcut
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2010-11-04
Total Pages: 442
ISBN-13: 0571258492
DOWNLOAD EBOOKJohn Bridcut, author of the acclaimed 'Britten's Children', will include significant fresh material which will make the book indispensable for Britten aficionados as well as for those who are discovering the composer's music for the first time. This guide is all about finding a way into Britten's music. An outline of planned chapters: - The Top Ten Britten pieces - Critics' First Impressions - Britten's Life - Britten and Pears - The things they said - The Music (stage works, choral works, songs, chamber music, orchestral works) - The Interpreters of Britten's work - Britten as Performer - The Impresario (English Opera Group and Aldeburgh Festival) - Britten's Homes - Trivial Pursuits
Author: Edward Blakeman
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2011-02-03
Total Pages: 338
ISBN-13: 0571268803
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe Faber Pocket Guide to Handel offers a detailed but accessible exploration of George Frederick Handel, his composition, and his legacy. A larger-than-life figure in his time, Handel's reputation has been less than steady since his death in 1759. Was he (in the words of Berlioz) just 'a great barrel of pork and beer', or (as Handel himself claimed) truly 'the master of us all'? Now, more than 250 years after his death, there is more interest in Handel than ever before, with his operas (such as Rinaldo and Agrippina) experiencing fantastic renewed popularity. This lively new Pocket Guide goes in search of the composer who wrote the Messiah, Water Music - and much more. Handy for browsing and reference, key features include: - Handel's life: year by year - Handel's operas: a complete guide - Essential Handel - Picturing Handel - Handel on CD and DVD - Handel Online Edward Blakeman assesses how Handel's works - incredibly influential in their context of baroque music - have stood the test of time and why they can still speak thrillingly to us today. With recommendations throughout for listening, further reading, and web surfing, this is the ideal guide for music lovers who want to discover the great composer for themselves.
Author: Maureen Hughes
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2009-03-19
Total Pages: 250
ISBN-13: 1844687260
DOWNLOAD EBOOKEverything you need to know about plays and playwrights in one handy guide by leading expert Maureen Hughes who has had one of her 8 musicals produced in the West End and teaches musical theater. Covering everything from the top playwrights through the centuries to a comprehensive A-Z listing of plays from around the world. Accessibility is a key selling point with factboxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject.
Author: Ronald Cavaye
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2012-07-09
Total Pages: 188
ISBN-13: 1462903991
DOWNLOAD EBOOKKabuki A Pocket Guide introduces readers to the foundations of Kabuki--its history and its actors, its acting styles and its performance, its color and music--to the sheer beauty and joy of Kabuki. Kabuki, the popular theatre of Japan, began in about 1603 and is still flourishing today. It was the entertainment of the common people as opposed to Noh, the refined theatre of the aristocracy, and is a close relative of the Bunraku puppet theater. All the actors in Kabuki, even those who play female roles, are men and plays and dances deal with the love of the heroes and villains form Japans real or legendary past. Concise enough to take to performance, this pocket guide to Kabuki provides a wealth of fascinating information about plays, the actors, and their history. As only an insider can do, the author takes us behind the scene to meet the actors, attend rehearsal, and get a first-hand look at the makeup, costumes, sets and props that go into a Kabuki performance.
Author: Richard Wigmore
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2011-02-03
Total Pages: 402
ISBN-13: 0571268730
DOWNLOAD EBOOKJoseph Haydn is one of the greatest and most innovative of all composers, yet in some ways he is still curiously misunderstood. This engaging new Pocket Guide assesses what Haydn's music means to us today, and challenges some of the myths that have grown up around the composer. With suggestions for further reading and recommended CD recordings, Richard Wigmore's crisp and concise guide presents you with all you need to listen to and enjoy Haydn's music. It explores each of his key works, from his symphonies to his quartets, from his choral works to his sonatas, and invites a new generation of listeners to discover the depth and dazzling ingenuity of this most humane and life-affirming of composers.
Author: James Inverne
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2010-12-22
Total Pages: 305
ISBN-13: 0571268668
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWith hit TV shows picking the leads in productions of Oliver! and The Sound Of Music, and smash musicals like Hairspray and Wicked all the West End rage, musical theatre is as popular as it's ever been. James Inverne provides an indispensable guide to his top one hundred greatest shows of all time - and ten of the worst. Whether you know your Pal Joey from The Producers, your West Side Story from your Witch Witch, the Faber Pocket Guide To Musicals is packed with entertaining behind-the-scenes stories, essential songlists and comprehensive recording guides. Did you know, for instance, that one of the best recordings of Les Miserables is in Hebrew? Or that the Mel Brooks wasn't the first person to want to make a musical of The Producers? (That claim goes to Eric Idle.) Or the ridiculous story of the huge purpose-built theatre constructed in Holland to house a flop about Grace Kelly? Key features include: - The hundred greatest musicals - Numbers to listen for - Snapshot plot summaries - Ten terrible musicals - Recommended recordings James Inverne has been writing about musical theatre for years and brings copious knowledge, passion for the subject and a sense of fun to a genre that continues to entertain us all. Make the most of the musicals with this vital book.
