The Vienna Opera

Traces the history of the Vienna State Opera company and discusses its directors, set designs, orchestra, costumes, singers, and dancers

In this lavish tribute, six Viennese describe their opera house in terms that seem nearly as concerned with public relations as with music drama. Seebohm, who describes herself as a "former musicologist," tells the story of opera in Vienna before 1869, and Egon Seefehlner, the most recent of its former directors, summarizes the regimes of his 20 predecessors (including Mahler, Weingartner, Bohm and Karajan). Other specialists discuss the architecture and construction of the building, set designs and costumes, the opera's ballet company and the history of its orchestra. Giving body to the book is the collection of more than 300 illustrations (80 in color), which doubtless will provide more pleasure to opera buffs than the undistinguished text. (August
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Vienna was the glory of the music world for 350 years, as this affectionate portrayal of that city's opera attests. This is the translation of a book published last year in German and apparently nearly identical in page makeup and layout. Neither a documentary history nor a strict chronology, it offers chapters on Vienna opera prior to 1869, the architecture of the Vienna Opera House, the directors and their ensembles, set design and costumes, the opera ballet, and the orchestra. A list of major premieres and a bibliography are included. The chief value of the book may be its splendid illustrations and plates, many in full color. William Shank, CUNY Graduate Sch. Lib.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.