Christopher Webber – författare

It has been said that zarzuela means to Spain what operetta means to Vienna, Offenbach to Paris, Gilbert and Sullivan to London, and the musical to Broadway. Zarzuela is Spain's unique contribution to lyric theatre, a mixture of spoken and sung drama with a complex history extending over four centuries. The Zarzuela Companion is a comprehensive guide to zarzuela's most popular and romantic works written after 1850, with chapters devoted to the major Spanish zarzuela composers, writers and singers. Complete synopses of all sixty works selected are delivered at the level of detail necessary for non-Spanish speakers to follow along with ease. The book also features special sections on the history of the genre, and on the parallel Catalan and Cuban zarzuela traditions. A foreword by Plácido Domingo, a selected discography with current catalog reference numbers, a brief bilingual bibliography and glossary of Spanish terms make this book indispensable for the newcomer and aficionado alike.

Spain has until recently been almost absent from traditional operatic histories and guidebooks, yet its lyric theatre boasts a rich heritage dating back to the early 1620s, which still flourishes four centuries later. The History offers a comprehensive survey from the Baroque to the modern musical, taking in such important theatrical patterns as the romantic zarzuela (1850s-1950s), which remains hugely popular throughout the Hispanic world. The volume is organised chronologically, providing readers with a panoramic overview, while in-depth Interchapters and case studies focus on topics of special interest, including individual composers, works and performers, using a 'transatlantic lens' to examine Spanish-language lyric theatre in the Americas and beyond. It offers a fresh summation of the best modern scholarship from academics, writers and performers, encouraging readers to think in terms of changing musico-dramatic patterns -'living theatre' rather than fixed 'genres' - while pointing forward to the global dissemination of these remarkable Spanish repertoires.

It has been said that zarzuela means to Spain what operetta means to Vienna, Offenbach to Paris, Gilbert and Sullivan to London, and the musical to Broadway. Zarzuela is Spain''s unique contribution to lyric theatre, a mixture of spoken and sung drama with a complex history extending over four centuries. The Zarzuela Companion is a comprehensive guide to zarzuela''s most popular and romantic works written after 1850, with chapters devoted to the major Spanish zarzuela composers, writers and singers. Complete synopses of all sixty works selected are delivered at the level of detail necessary for non-Spanish speakers to follow along with ease. The book also features special sections on the history of the genre, and on the parallel Catalan and Cuban zarzuela traditions. A foreword by Plácido Domingo, a selected discography with current catalog reference numbers, a brief bilingual bibliography and glossary of Spanish terms make this book indispensable for the newcomer and aficionado alike.