Opera

(edited by Francis Keeping and Roberta Prada)

A spectacularly illustrated witty book full of historical information and performance history of twenty operas – informative, beautiful and clever all at the same time.

Behind the scenes at the opera house there is a zany world of outsized characters, both on and off stage. Irreverent discussions of opera are usually held behind closed doors. Opera and Its Characters is filled with exceptional and matchless tales as told by two singers and their friends giving you their take on twenty operas through the eyes of the characters, shown in full-page color illustrations by Francis Keeping.

While the book is chockfull of information – history of the individual opera, its cast, composer and librettist, the idea is to set the scene for the opening night.

The show business aspect of opera and the nuttiness of its characters and stories are the source of inspiration.

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publicité non évaluée par le Dr Bernard Auriol

The stories in Opera and Its Characters include: the epic arguments between Puccini and his librettists and publisher; The Queen of the Night, aka the world’s worst mother-in-law; Don José, the quintessential mama’s boy and murderer; opera’s most dysfunctional family, King Nabucco of Babylon and his unhinged daughters, Lakme and her rather unusual Gerald, who falls in love with her even after she says, “You know, I could have had you killed”. These and many familiar and uncommon characters’ stories are contained in this book and are told in a scholarly yet uniquely whimsical fashion.

My visceral response to opera led me to create these drawings in Opera and Its Characters. Having spent years both behind and in front of the footlights, these pages represent the feelings that resonate when I conjure these characters in my mind or see them on the stage. They will evoke a wide variety of responses in others, but I am happy to report that they all have a bond with the crazy inner workings of my imagination.

Francis Keeping, New York, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Grace E. Mangum
GEMangum@gmail.com
917/501-6547

7 Septembre 2008


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