A Season of Opera: From Orpheus to Ariadne

Anyone who listens to the Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera in New York knows that if an intermission feature includes M. Owen Lee, a Catholic priest, as a panelist or commentator, it will be informative and lively with a touch of dry humor. Fr. Lee is a professor of classsics with a passion for music. His insights are always insightful and quite often have a spiritual flair as well. His book A SEASON OF OPERA FROM ORPHEUS TO ARIADNE is classic Fr. Lee. Many of the chapters are based on intermission talks or lectures he has been asked to give about opera. In the book he discusses several well known opera (LA TRAVIATA, IL TROVATORE, SALOME, and TRISTAN UN ISOLDE to name a few) as well as some lesser known works (Wagner's RIENZI known to most audiences only for its overture and Pftizner's PALESTRINA) and two works from the American stage (OKLAHOMA and PORGY AND BESS). This volume is an excellent read for any opera lover. For those who are first trying to come to terms with this magnificent art form, Fr. Lee provides the basics of the plot and gives some good background information. For those who have are not newcomers to the world of opera, Fr. Lee includes many insights from literature, art, history, and religion that give the works a larger perspective. His musings are never dry and often include personal anecdotes and clever stories to illustrate his points. Readers can easily see that the works included in this volume have touched Fr. Lee's life and he shows ways the works can move us as well. Another helpful resource this book offers is a list of books for further reading and a recording and DVD/video guide that will aide anyone hoping to build up a good listening library.

A collection of essays that will add insight for the devoted opera fan as well as have those approaching opera for the first time running to the CD store to hear the music discussed.The central theme is that opera is about music translating myths into forms and personna that we can hear and respond to today. The author's classical studies and study of modern society's ways of dealing with the issues meet and focus on the works discussed.And added bonus is the most intelligent and precise discussion of Porgy and Bess that places the work exactly in our culture. This essay is a must read for anyone contemplating mounting a production.