| Title | : | Verdi: The Man Revealed |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1783963301 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781783963300 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | Published September 7, 2017 |
An obsessive perfectionist, Verdi drove collaborators to despair but his works were rightly lauded from the start as dazzling feats of composition and characterisation. From Rigoletto to Otello, La Traviatato to Aida, Verdi’s canon encompassed the full range of human emotion. His private life was no less complex: he suffered great loss, and went out of his way to antagonise many erstwhile supporters, including his own family. An outspoken advocate of Italian independence and a sharp critic of the church, he was o‑ en at odds with nineteenth-century society and paid the price.
In Verdi: The Man Revealed, John Suchet attempts to get under the skin of perhaps the most private composer who ever lived. Unpicking his protestations, his deliberate embellishments and disingenuous disavowals, Suchet reveals the contradictory and sometimes curmudgeonly character of this great artist, convicted throughout much of his life but ultimately unable to walk away from the art for which he will be forever known.
Verdi: The Man Revealed Reviews
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ith wonderful glossy pages, this meticulously researched biography is easy to read and wonderfully informative, and if, like me, you have little knowledge of the life of these great composers...well, to have everything you need to know in one lovely, glossy volume is a wonderful idea. I really enjoyed flipping through the book and reading chapters at whim, always finding something interesting and fascinating to learn about this most complex of individuals.
The author writes with real authority and includes, in this biography, all those snippets of information about Verdi's greatest works which are so important. From Rigoletto to Othello, La Traviata to Aida, all human emotion is to be found within his great catalogue of works, and the author ensures that all these are included and described in a very readable way. I particularly enjoyed reading of Verdi's early life in Italy, and the confusion surrounding his date of birth made me smile.
Beautifully illustrated, the book is a sumptuous and beautiful journey through the whole of Verdi's very eventful life which I am sure will appeal to music lovers everywhere.
Verdi: The Man Revealed would make a perfect Christmas present for any classical music lover. My copy is definitely one to keep and cherish. -
An enjoyable and accessible little biography of Verdi. I am surprised though that the editor didn’t address some of the author’s more obnoxiously misogynistic statements. Annoying sexism aside, the life and work of the man are well presented.
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This is a great introduction to Verdi, but nothing brilliant like the writing of Jan Swafford, Maynard Solomon or Alex Ross. But Verdi is a hard nut to crack- that’s one thing I learned. Not much musical description. I gave four stars instead of three because of the great color pictures.
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Yes, a very fine read.
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Revealing and interesting. A real eye-opener. I never realised he had such a volatile temper.
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One of the most visually appealing books I have read in many years. The pages are a delight to read and the author's writing is terrific.
