W. A. Mozart Cos}} fan tutte [Paperback]

Bruce Alan Brown offers several paths towards a closer understanding of Cos? fan tutte.At once the most light-hearted and disturbing of Mozart and Da Ponte's Italian comic works, the opera has provoked widely differing reactions from listeners for more than two centuries. This study provides a detailed account of the libretto's complex origins in myth and Italian literary classics.At once the most light-hearted and disturbing of Mozart and Da Ponte's Italian comic works, the opera has provoked widely differing reactions from listeners for more than two centuries. This study provides a detailed account of the libretto's complex origins in myth and Italian literary classics.At once the most light-hearted and most disturbing of Mozart and Da Ponte's Italian comic operas, Così fan tutte has provoked widely differing reactions from listeners for more than two centuries. Bruce Alan Brown offers several paths toward a closer understanding of the work, providing a detailed account of the libretto's complex origins in myth and Italian literary classics. The Handbook also reveals surprising new information on the role played by Mozart's rival Salieri. It contains a full synopsis, performance history, illustrations from key productions, and a bibliography,List of illustrations; General preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Genesis; 3. Synopsis 4. The sources of an 'original' libretto; 5. Cos? fan tutte, or 'La Partie carr?e: the eighteenth-century context of a theatrical subject; 6. The musical dramaturgy of the opera; 7. Performance and criticism; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.'... there is more than enough valuable material in this book to make its acquisition thoroughly worth your while.' Opera