This book is the second volume in a series devoted to the Czech operas of Leos Janácek. Word-for-word and idiomatic English translations are provided along with the International Phonetic Alphabet and practical notes on style, to help singers, condcutors, coaches, stages directors, and devoted Janácek fans all to gain an understanding of the opera and how best to perform it in its original language.

Responding to the ever-increasing popularity and international performances of operas by the Czech composer Leoš Janácek, this collection, meet the needs of English-speaking singers, conductors, coaches, and stage directors and conveniently provides idiomatic and word-for-word translations, including translations of stage and musical directions. In addition, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is used to indicate Czech pronunciation, following the clearly-presented method given in the author's book Singing in Czech : A Guide to Czech Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire, with a foreword by Sir Charles Mackerras. Cheek also provides practical notes about Janácek's style, both in general terms and specific issues relating to this opera along with a plot summary with translations and vocal ranges of characters and the pronunciation of their names. The first volume is the full translation of The Cunning Little Vixen in English alongside the original Czech. The second volume on Kát'a Kabanová, will help make productions in the original Czech much easier a task than ever before.

This double volume contains two masterpieces of the Czech composer Leos Janacek. Jenufa was the opera which finally brought him international recognition - and, with it, fame at home. Based on Ostrovsky's The Storm, Katya Kabanova contains wonderful music inspired by the composer's love for a much younger woman. The scores are discussed by Arnold Whittall, and the background sources are variously introduced by social and literary historians. John Tyrell comments on an important letter about the genesis of Katya; Sir Charles Mackerras describes his work as an interpreter and advocate of this brilliantly original and dramatic music.Contents: A National Composer Jaroslav Krejci; Drama into Libretto, Karel Brusak; The Challenge from Within: Janacek's Musico-dramatic Mastery, Arnold Whittall; Janacek and Czech Realism, Jan Smaczny; JenAfa: Libretto by Leos Janacek; JenAfa: English translation by Otakar Kraus and Edward Downes; A Russian Heart of Darkness, Alex de Jonge; Janacek's forgotten commentary on 'Katya Kabanova', John Tyrrell; Katya Kabanova: Libretto by Leos Janacek; Katya Kabanova: English translation by Norman Tucker; Janacek's Operas - Preparation and Performance, Charles Mackerras

Written by a well-known authority, this book consists of 175 entries that set some of the most popular operas within the context of their composer's career, outline the plot, discuss the music, and more.

Kát'a Kabanová is both the first Janáček opera to have been performed in Britain and the one which has received the most productions in Britain and the USA. In this book the author brings together letters, early reviews and other documents (most of them translated from Czech for the first time) on the opera's composition and its early performances. A group of key interpretations of the opera ranges from one by the opera's German translator and Janáčeks first biographer Max Brod to specially commissioned essays by Wilfrid Mellers and by David Pountney, producer of the highly successful Welsh National Opera/Scottish Opera Janáček cycle.

This volume is a reference source to literature in the English language throughout the world. It provides a survey of the world-wide literary tradition of this area, and offers explanations of genres, movements, critical terms and literary concepts.

In the late 1500s in Florence, aristocrats of the Renaissance renovated classical Greek dramas into dramatic musicals and gave birth to the first operas. After centuries of transformation, the opera is still appreciated as a historically dynamic paradigm of the fine arts. Composers of the twentieth century have worked hard to fashion a voice distinct from the romantic composers of the nineteenth century and the traditions that preceded them, and this volume explores the extent of their success. Beginning with a thorough introduction to the history of operatic forms and transformation, this book presents a comprehensive discussion of twentieth century opera. Giving ear to many composers and many styles--romantic and modern and assorted variations--the discussion includes such globally renowned composers as Strauss, Puccini, Prokofiev and Mascagni, as well as the esoteric works of less famous composers. Spanning as it does from Puccini's Tosca and Charpentier's Louise to Heggie's Dead Man Walking and Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles, twentieth century operatic form has something for every taste. The discussion is therefore structured chronologically and directed at exploring this complex diversity and ingenuity of twentieth-century styles. Examples from across the globe and firsthand commentary from contemporary operatic professionals complement the discussion. Concluding chapters comment upon the operatic presence in the twenty-first century and the future of operatic forms.