ISBN A Mad Love book Educational English Hardcover 288 pages

A lively introduction to opera, from the Renaissance to the twenty-first centuryThere are few art forms as visceral and emotional as opera — and few that are as daunting for newcomers.A Mad Loveoffers a spirited and indispensable tour of opera’s eclectic past and present, beginning with Monteverdi’sL’Orfeoin 1607, generally considered the first successful opera, through classics likeCarmenandLa Boheme, and spanning toBrokeback MountainandThe Death of Klinghofferin recent years. Musician and critic Vivien Schweitzer acquaints readers with the genre’s most important composers and some of its most influential performers, recounts its long-standing debates, and explains its essential terminology.Today, opera is everywhere, from the historic houses of major opera companies to movie theaters and public parks to offbeat performance spaces and our earbuds.A Mad Loveis an essential book for anyone who wants to appreciate this living, evolving art form in all its richness.