Roger Parker – författare

Abbate and Parker's A History of Opera is the first full new history of opera in sixty years - now in paperback in an updated second edition'The best single volume ever written on the subject' The Times Literary SupplementWhy has opera transfixed and fascinated audiences for centuries? Carolyn Abbate and Roger Parker answer this question in their scrupulous and provocative retelling of the history of opera, examining its development, the means by which it communicates, and its societal role. In a new revision with an expanded examination of opera as an institution in the twenty-first century this book explores the tensions that have sustained opera over 400 years: between words and music, character and singer, inattention and absorption. Abbate and Parker argue that, though the genre's most popular and enduring works were almost all written in a distant European past, opera continues to transform the viewer with its enduring power.

In this lavishly illustrated volume the history and social context of opera is explored by a group of leading British and American scholars, under the editorship of Roger Parker. The core of the book is a historical survey of opera, from its beginnings in Florence four hundred years ago, up to opera in the 1990s. The greatest coverage is given to the nineteenth century, the time during which most of the operas performed today were composed. There are also chapters onthe history of staging, on opera singers, on opera as a social occasion through the ages, and a chronology.Although all major composers of opera are mentioned, and their works discussed, the various chapters concentrate less on simple historical narrative and more on the complex development of opera, especially on its relationship with the other arts and its place within the broader world of culture and politics.The numerous illustrations — nearly three hundred, some thirty of which are in colour — serve the vital purpose of underlining the richly visual nature of opera: the manner in which it communicates so vividly through staging and costume, and the spectacular way in which it often reflects the cultural concerns of the age. Rather than simply illustrating the text, the pictures work as a kind of parallel history, supplementing and enriching the verbal narrative.The contributors are all experts in their chosen areas, but all of them have remained alive to the basic attraction of opera: its extravagant appeal to both the senses and the intellect, and its seemingly inexhaustible power to move and astonish us.

Each entry in the New Grove Guides series of composers and their operas is based on articles in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, that feature information on the lives of individual composers, their works, their librettists and interpreters, and the places where they performed. These unique books compile the meticulously researched articles into organized narratives, designed to make finding information as easy as possible without sacrificing readability. Each volume is completely up-to-date, and includes a suggested listening guide and an eight-page glossy insert containing relevant illustrations. Each volume is a must-own for lovers of opera and classical music.Giuseppe Verdi is the most famous Italian composer of opera. While he was sometimes criticized for writing music considered too "simple," his works have endured, and are still performed throughout the world today. This concise volume is a handy guide to the Verdi's life and operas, revising the original New Grove articles and adding a new introduction, a new section on modern Verdi productions, and an updated bibliography.

Each entry in the New Grove Guides series of composers and their operas is based on articles in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, that feature information on the lives of individual composers, their works, their librettists and interpreters, and the places where they performed. These unique books compile the meticulously researched articles into organized narratives, designed to make finding information as easy as possible without sacrificing readability. Each volume is completely up-to-date, and includes a suggested listening guide and an eight-page glossy insert containing relevant illustrations. Each volume is a must-own for lovers of opera and classical music.Giuseppe Verdi is the most famous Italian composer of opera. While he was sometimes criticized for writing music considered too "simple," his works have endured, and are still performed throughout the world today. This concise volume is a handy guide to Verdi's life and operas, revising the original New Grove articles and adding a new introduction, a new section on modern Verdi productions, and an updated bibliography.

This book is among the first to examine French opera and ballet criticism during the first half of the nineteenth century both as a historical and a literary phenomenon. It thus provides a new and badly needed perspective for scholars and other commentators who have often been willing to treat the journalistic responses to such musical genres chiefly as a simple source of factual information. The essays, taken from a conference in Oxford in 1996, explore the kinds of problem encountered and the types of methodology that might be employed in trying to interpret these critical responses; they throw light on such aspects as the cultural attitudes underlying the writers' rhetoric, the aesthetic stances and ideological agendas at play, and how modes of production influenced content.

The number of Verdi's works in the current repertories of the world's opera houses is greater than at any time since the composer's death a century ago. Yet, those responsible for staging and performing these works are faced with many difficult decisions, not least of which is how to make the operas relevant to modern audiences while respecting the composer's intentions. First written for an international conference at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, these lively and stimulating essays by leading Verdi scholars, music and stage practitioners reflect current thinking on matters such as 'authentic' staging, performance practice, Verdi's approach to the ballet, and the role of critical editions. With a chronology of the composer's life and times and also a list of his works, this anthology is essential reading for anyone interested in the performance of Verdi's operas in the new millennium.

London, 1820. The British capital is a metropolis that overwhelms dwellers and visitors alike with constant exposure to all kinds of sensory stimulation. Over the next two decades, the city’s tumult will reach new heights: as population expansion places different classes in dangerous proximity and ideas of political and social reform linger in the air, London begins to undergo enormous infrastructure change that will alter it forever.It is the London of this period that editors Roger Parker and Susan Rutherford pinpoint in this book, which chooses one broad musical category—voice—and engages with it through essays on music of the streets, theaters, opera houses, and concert halls; on the raising of voices in religious and sociopolitical contexts; and on the perception of voice in literary works and scientific experiments with acoustics. Emphasizing human subjects, this focus on voice allows the authors to explore the multifaceted issues that shaped London, from the anxiety surrounding the city’s importance in the musical world at large to the changing vocal imaginations that permeated the epoch. Capturing the breadth of sonic stimulations and cultures available—and sometimes unavoidable—to residents at the time, London Voices, 1820–1840 sheds new light on music in Britain and the richness of London culture during this period.

Opera performances are often radically inventive. Composers' revisions, singers' improvisations, and stage directors' re-imaginings continually challenge our visions of canonical works. But do they go far enough? This elegantly written, beautifully concise book, spanning almost the entire history of opera, reexamines attitudes toward some of our best-loved musical works. It looks at opera's history of multiple visions and revisions and asks a simple question: what exactly is opera? "Remaking the Song", rich in imaginative answers, considers works by Handel, Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and Berio in order to challenge what many regard as sacroscant: the opera's musical text. Scholarly tradition favors the idea of great operatic texts permanently inscribed in the canon.Roger Parker, considering examples ranging from Cecilia Bartoli's much-criticized insistence on using Mozart's alternative arias in the "Marriage of Figaro" to Luciano Berio's new ending to Puccini's unfinished "Turandot", argues that opera is an inherently mutable form, and that all of us - performers, listeners, scholars - should celebrate operatic revisions as a way of opening works to contemporary needs and new pleasures.

This guide presents a unique collection of critical, analytical, and documentary essays on Puccini's most popular opera. There are new studies on the background to Parisian bohemianism (by Jerrold Seigel), on Puccini's musical language (by William Drabkin), and on the opera's stage history (by William Ashbrook). Following research in Italian archives, and a thorough study of the published sources (many of them previously unknown to modern scholarship), the editors have added further essays on the genesis of the opera, the structure of the libretto, and aspects of the work's reception. The book also contains a brief study of Puccini's working methods as seen through the autograph score, a full synopsis, discography, many illustrations, and an appendix of related documents (some published in English for the first time).

For too long, the skills and achievements of the men and women behind MG Rover were overshadowed by press coverage focused on the company’s often controversial leaders. Only after the company’s collapse did the quality of their work really come to light, sparking renewed appreciation and demand for the cars – though, by then, it was too late. Fully illustrated with over 290 photographs, MG Zeds – The Complete Story tells the story of the MG Zeds, three highly effective MG sporting saloons created with remarkably limited resources, and includes details of their development, production, racing history and technical specifications.

MGF and TF Restoration Manual provides the MGF or TF owner with a complete workshop guide to mechanical and body restoration for the cars. With the MGF in production between 1995 and 2001, and the MG TF until 2011, many of the cars have survived in a structurally and mechanically sound state, without the huge costs and complications of needing a complete body restoration that is so often the case with pre-1980 MGs.Topics covered include:Model overview and parts supplyWorkshop safety information.Bodywork [external and subframes].Trim [including hood problems and replacement].All mechanical components [including head gasket replacement].Electrical systems [including security systems].Modification [cosmetic, mechanical and engine].

The books in the Everyday Modifications series from Crowood are designed to guide classic car owners through the workshop skills needed to make their cars easier to use and enjoy. MG expert Roger Parker gives his advice on maintaining and modifying MGB, GT and GTV8 cars, with some additional reference to the MGC and MG RV8 models. With safety information throughout, the book covers: regulations, insurance and market value for all models; routine maintenance; body and interior changes; brakes, suspension and steering; engine improvements for the original 1798cc B-series engine and other engine alternatives and finally, installing and updating electrical equipment and lighting.