Julian Budden, formerly the Chief Producer for Opera at BBC Radio, currently serves as the President of the Centro Studi Giacomo Puccini, Lucca, Italy. He is the author of the Master Musicians biography of Verdi as well as the three-volume The Operas of Verdi.
"He makes one hungry to hear the operas once again and reconsider
one's own response--what can be higher praise for music
criticism?"--Tim Page, Washington Post Book World
"At the least, Budden's book will stand as the bellwether of
studies of Puccini's music, the starting point for further
scholarly work and for informed amateurs alike. At the most, he has
given us the best survey we have of Italian opera around 1900...He
has made a minor art form of operatic description in prose,
expanding the old format of plot-summary-plus-favoritie-themes to
include music analysis, critical response, and secure judgments as
to the echoes of
other composers heard at any moment. He joins all this is a prose
that will engage even those who cannot follow all the musical
particulars. There is more: Budden contrives in the introductory
sections
of his chapters to give us a canny glimpse of Puccini's life at the
time of each opera. And--this is one of the most impressive
features of his study--he provides in each chapter vignettes that
add up to a historical sketch of the musical culture Puccini lived
and worked in."--Gary Tomlinson, The New York Times Book Review
"...a seamless and readable narrative. His prose style is
appealingly informal while not sacrificing scholarly integrity, and
he has an effective way of drawing the reader into each new
chapter.... Budden is ever alert to the impact Puccini's
environment had upon his art."--Music and Letters
"Julian Budden's book fills a serious gap. Here is a single volume
combining excellent biography with an often illuminating discussion
of the work...Budden's approach to the individual operas is often
fresh and engaging. His investigation of the dramatic and musical
problems that Puccini encountered while writing Manon Lescaut is
fascinating...Budden's is a book for the library shelf, a reliable
reference work that the reader will want to consult when
program
notes fail or a fresh view of the operas."--Opera News
"Budden is responsible for much of the new Puccini scholarship and
his synthesis of this material is often elegant."--New York Review
of Books
"If you want in-depth insight into Puccini's operas, replete with
many stanzas of music, Budden's bio and discussion should be on
your shelf."--The San Diego Union Tribune
"Essential reading, Budden's biography allies in-depth scholarship
with narrative pace to offer us a masterly and intensely human
portrait of the man and composer. Finely researched, surely the
most thoughtful biography to date of Italy's last great opera
composer."--Vivien A. Hewitt, Director, Festival Puccini of Torre
del Lago
"Bravo Budden!!!!!! His books on Verdi have been an invaluable aid
to my study and role preparation over the years, and now the
Puccini volume joins them in my library. Budden manages to
synthesize the historical, academic, artistic, and human aspects of
Puccini's operas in a way that is totally accessible, and most
useful to any serious artist or music lover."--Elizabeth
Blancke-Biggs, Soprano
"An enormously impressive achievement. Certainly the best book on
Puccini in English. As we would expect from the author of The
Operas of Verdi, Budden's discussion of Puccini's alarmingly
popular music is both sensitive and challenging in its
insights."--Roger Parker, Professor of Music and Fellow of St
John's College, Cambridge University
"Informed lay readers will gain insight while theoreticians will
appreciate Budden's deeper musical analysis. His elegant turns of
phrase ("rhythmic scaffolding") and obvious expertise combine in an
exceptional whole."--Library Journal
"...a seamless and readable narrative. His prose style is
appealingly informal while not sacrificing scholarly integrity, and
he has an effective way of drawing the reader into each new
chapter.... Budden is ever alert to the impact Puccini's
environment had upon his art."--Music and Letters
"He makes one hungry to hear the operas once again and reconsider
one's own response--what can be higher praise for music
criticism?"--Tim Page, Washington Post Book World
"At the least, Budden's book will stand as the bellwether of
studies of Puccini's music, the starting point for further
scholarly work and for informed amateurs alike. At the most, he has
given us the best survey we have of Italian opera around 1900....
He has made a minor art form of operatic description in prose,
expanding the old format of plot-summary-plus-favoritie-themes to
include music analysis, critical response, and secure judgments as
to the echoes
of other composers heard at any moment. He joins all this is a
prose that will engage even those who cannot follow all the musical
particulars. There is more: Budden contrives in the
introductory
sections of his chapters to give us a canny glimpse of Puccini's
life at the time of each opera. And--this is one of the most
impressive features of his study--he provides in each chapter
vignettes that add up to a historical sketch of the musical culture
Puccini lived and worked in."--Gary Tomlinson, The New York Times
Book Review
"Julian Budden's book fills a serious gap. Here is a single volume
combining excellent biography with an often illuminating discussion
of the work.... Budden's approach to the individual operas is often
fresh and engaging. His investigation of the dramatic and musical
problems that Puccini encountered while writing Manon Lescaut is
fascinating.... Budden's is a book for the library shelf, a
reliable reference work that the reader will want to consult
when
program notes fail or a fresh view of the operas."--Opera News
"Budden is responsible for much of the new Puccini scholarship and
his synthesis of this material is often elegant."--New York Review
of Books
"If you want in-depth insight into Puccini's operas, replete with
many stanzas of music, Budden's bio and discussion should be on
your shelf."--The San Diego Union Tribune
"Essential reading, Budden's biography allies in-depth scholarship
with narrative pace to offer us a masterly and intensely human
portrait of the man and composer. Finely researched, surely the
most thoughtful biography to date of Italy's last great opera
composer."--Vivien A. Hewitt, Director, Festival Puccini of Torre
del Lago
"Bravo Budden!!!!!! His books on Verdi have been an invaluable aid
to my study and role preparation over the years, and now the
Puccini volume joins them in my library. Budden manages to
synthesize the historical, academic, artistic, and human aspects of
Puccini's operas in a way that is totally accessible, and most
useful to any serious artist or music lover."--Elizabeth
Blancke-Biggs, Soprano
"An enormously impressive achievement. Certainly the best book on
Puccini in English. As we would expect from the author of The
Operas of Verdi, Budden's discussion of Puccini's alarmingly
popular music is both sensitive and challenging in its
insights."--Roger Parker, Professor of Music and Fellow of St
John's College, Cambridge University
"Informed lay readers will gain insight while theoreticians will
appreciate Budden's deeper musical analysis. His elegant turns of
phrase ("rhythmic scaffolding") and obvious expertise combine in an
exceptional whole."--Library Journal
"He makes one hungry to hear the operas once again and reconsider one's own response--what can be higher praise for music criticism?"--Tim Page, Washington Post Book World "At the least, Budden's book will stand as the bellwether of studies of Puccini's music, the starting point for further scholarly work and for informed amateurs alike. At the most, he has given us the best survey we have of Italian opera around 1900...He has made a minor art form of operatic description in prose, expanding the old format of plot-summary-plus-favoritie-themes to include music analysis, critical response, and secure judgments as to the echoes of other composers heard at any moment. He joins all this is a prose that will engage even those who cannot follow all the musical particulars. There is more: Budden contrives in the introductory sections of his chapters to give us a canny glimpse of Puccini's life at the time of each opera. And--this is one of the most impressive features of his study--he provides in each chapter vignettes that add up to a historical sketch of the musical culture Puccini lived and worked in."--Gary Tomlinson, The New York Times Book Review "...a seamless and readable narrative. His prose style is appealingly informal while not sacrificing scholarly integrity, and he has an effective way of drawing the reader into each new chapter.... Budden is ever alert to the impact Puccini's environment had upon his art."--Music and Letters "Julian Budden's book fills a serious gap. Here is a single volume combining excellent biography with an often illuminating discussion of the work...Budden's approach to the individual operas is often fresh and engaging. His investigation of the dramatic and musical problems that Puccini encountered while writing Manon Lescaut is fascinating...Budden's is a book for the library shelf, a reliable reference work that the reader will want to consult when program notes fail or a fresh view of the operas."--Opera News "Budden is responsible for much of the new Puccini scholarship and his synthesis of this material is often elegant."--New York Review of Books "If you want in-depth insight into Puccini's operas, replete with many stanzas of music, Budden's bio and discussion should be on your shelf."--The San Diego Union Tribune "Essential reading, Budden's biography allies in-depth scholarship with narrative pace to offer us a masterly and intensely human portrait of the man and composer. Finely researched, surely the most thoughtful biography to date of Italy's last great opera composer."--Vivien A. Hewitt, Director, Festival Puccini of Torre del Lago "Bravo Budden!!!!!! His books on Verdi have been an invaluable aid to my study and role preparation over the years, and now the Puccini volume joins them in my library. Budden manages to synthesize the historical, academic, artistic, and human aspects of Puccini's operas in a way that is totally accessible, and most useful to any serious artist or music lover."--Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Soprano "An enormously impressive achievement. Certainly the best book on Puccini in English. As we would expect from the author of The Operas of Verdi, Budden's discussion of Puccini's alarmingly popular music is both sensitive and challenging in its insights."--Roger Parker, Professor of Music and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge University "Informed lay readers will gain insight while theoreticians will appreciate Budden's deeper musical analysis. His elegant turns of phrase ("rhythmic scaffolding") and obvious expertise combine in an exceptional whole."--Library Journal "...a seamless and readable narrative. His prose style is appealingly informal while not sacrificing scholarly integrity, and he has an effective way of drawing the reader into each new chapter.... Budden is ever alert to the impact Puccini's environment had upon his art."--Music and Letters "He makes one hungry to hear the operas once again and reconsider one's own response--what can be higher praise for music criticism?"--Tim Page, Washington Post Book World "At the least, Budden's book will stand as the bellwether of studies of Puccini's music, the starting point for further scholarly work and for informed amateurs alike. At the most, he has given us the best survey we have of Italian opera around 1900.... He has made a minor art form of operatic description in prose, expanding the old format of plot-summary-plus-favoritie-themes to include music analysis, critical response, and secure judgments as to the echoes of other composers heard at any moment. He joins all this is a prose that will engage even those who cannot follow all the musical particulars. There is more: Budden contrives in the introductory sections of his chapters to give us a canny glimpse of Puccini's life at the time of each opera. And--this is one of the most impressive features of his study--he provides in each chapter vignettes that add up to a historical sketch of the musical culture Puccini lived and worked in."--Gary Tomlinson, The New York Times Book Review "Julian Budden's book fills a serious gap. Here is a single volume combining excellent biography with an often illuminating discussion of the work.... Budden's approach to the individual operas is often fresh and engaging. His investigation of the dramatic and musical problems that Puccini encountered while writing Manon Lescaut is fascinating.... Budden's is a book for the library shelf, a reliable reference work that the reader will want to consult when program notes fail or a fresh view of the operas."--Opera News "Budden is responsible for much of the new Puccini scholarship and his synthesis of this material is often elegant."--New York Review of Books "If you want in-depth insight into Puccini's operas, replete with many stanzas of music, Budden's bio and discussion should be on your shelf."--The San Diego Union Tribune "Essential reading, Budden's biography allies in-depth scholarship with narrative pace to offer us a masterly and intensely human portrait of the man and composer. Finely researched, surely the most thoughtful biography to date of Italy's last great opera composer."--Vivien A. Hewitt, Director, Festival Puccini of Torre del Lago "Bravo Budden!!!!!! His books on Verdi have been an invaluable aid to my study and role preparation over the years, and now the Puccini volume joins them in my library. Budden manages to synthesize the historical, academic, artistic, and human aspects of Puccini's operas in a way that is totally accessible, and most useful to any serious artist or music lover."--Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Soprano "An enormously impressive achievement. Certainly the best book on Puccini in English. As we would expect from the author of The Operas of Verdi, Budden's discussion of Puccini's alarmingly popular music is both sensitive and challenging in its insights."--Roger Parker, Professor of Music and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge University "Informed lay readers will gain insight while theoreticians will appreciate Budden's deeper musical analysis. His elegant turns of phrase ("rhythmic scaffolding") and obvious expertise combine in an exceptional whole."--Library Journal
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