W. H. Auden called opera the "last refuge of the High Style," and considered it the one art in which the grand manner survived the ironic levelings of modernity. He began writing libretti soon after he arrived in America in 1939 and abandoned his earlier attempts to write public, political drama. Opera gave him the opportunity to rise to the high style in public, not in an attempt to elevate his own status as a poet, but in service of the heroic voice of the singers. These works present their mythical actions with a direct ...
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W. H. Auden called opera the "last refuge of the High Style," and considered it the one art in which the grand manner survived the ironic levelings of modernity. He began writing libretti soon after he arrived in America in 1939 and abandoned his earlier attempts to write public, political drama. Opera gave him the opportunity to rise to the high style in public, not in an attempt to elevate his own status as a poet, but in service of the heroic voice of the singers. These works present their mythical actions with a direct intensity unlike anything in even his greatest poems. In this volume of Auden and Chester Kallman's libretti, extensive historical and textual notes trace the history of the production and revision of the works and provide full texts of early scenarios, as well as abandoned and rewritten scenes. Almost all the works included here were previously published in incomplete and often inaccessible editions--or were never published at all. The book prints for the first time the full text of Paul Bunyan , Auden's first libretto, which he wrote for music by Benjamin Britten. It also includes Auden and Kallman's The Rake's Progress , written for Igor Stravinsky, and Delia , written for Stravinsky but never set to music. The book continues with Auden and Kallman's two libretti written for music by Hans Werner Henze, Elegy for Young Lovers and The Bassarids , and their adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost , composed by Nicolas Nabokov. It also contains their translation of The Magic Flute , with its scenes reordered for greater dramatic coherence and added dialogue for sharper mythical significance, and their antimasque, The Entertainment of the Senses , for music by John Gardner. The book contains two radio plays-- The Dark Valley , a monologue written by Auden alone, and The Rocking Horse Winner , written with James Stern and based on a story by D. H. Lawrence. Also included are the unpublished masque that Auden wrote for Kallman's twenty-second birthday, the unpublished versions of The Dutchess of Malfi that Auden prepared with Bertolt Brecht, scenarios for a film script and a libretto that were never completed, Auden's narrative for the medieval Play of Daniel , two narratives for documentary films, and his song lyrics written for Man of La Mancha before the producer decided to use a different lyricist.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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New. A volume of Auden and Chester Kallman's libretti, it includes historical and textual notes tracing the history of the production and revision of the works, and provides full texts of early scenarios, as well as abandoned and rewritten scenes. Editor(s): Mendelson, Professor Edward. Series: The Complete Works of W.H. Auden. Num Pages: 800 pages. BIC Classification: DCF. Category: (P) Professional & Scholarly; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 235 x 155 x 51. Weight in Grams: 1314. 1993. Hardcover.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very Good. Princeton University Press; Princeton, 1993. Hardcover. Very Good, burgundy cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine, binding firm, interior and extremities tidy, spine lean, small soiled spot top text block edge, trace use/handling marks, in a Very Good, some handling/scuff marks to panels, trace edge/corner wear, small creases bottom spine edge, Dust Wrapper. A nice, clean and unmarked copy. 8vo[octavo or approx. 6 x 9 inches], 758pp., indexed. We pack securely and ship daily with delivery confirmation on every book. The picture on the listing page is of the actual book for sale. Additional Scan(s) are available for any item, please inquire.