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The Life and Operas of Verdi
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins
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Publisher's summary
The Italians have a word for the sense of dazzling beauty produced by effortless mastery: sprezzatura. And perhaps no cultural form associated with Italy is as steeped in the love of sprezzatura as opera, a genre the Italians invented. No composer has embodied the ideal of sprezzatura as magnificently as Giuseppe Verdi, the gruff, self-described "farmer" from the Po Valley who gave us 28 operas and remains to this day the most popular composer in the genre's 400-year-old history. His operas are produced more than those of any other composer, and one source claims that his La Traviata (1853) has been staged live somewhere around the world every evening for the past 100 years!
This series of 32 lectures from one of music's most acclaimed teachers combines biography with a variety of musical excerpts to reveal the treasures of creativity that account for this popularity. It explores in depth and detail both the famous and not-so-famous Verdi operas, as well as his one great concert work, the Requiem Mass of 1874; his early songs; and his very last composition, a setting of the Stabat Mater. You trace his development from a more or less conventional composer of operas in the traditional Italian bel canto (beautifully sung) style to a creator of truly innovative musical dramas in which the power of music to intensify and explore human emotion is exploited to the fullest degree.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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Dear Cousin: The Stalking of Susan Fensten is the gripping true story of one woman's quest for long lost family. After the deaths of her sister and estranged father, Susan searches for relatives on an early online genealogy forum. When she meets cousins from her grandfather's other family, they're everything she'd hoped for—until it all goes to hell.
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Harrowing Case, Excellent Production
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By: Ventureland
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
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By: Jack Weatherford
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The Demon Next Door
- By: Bryan Burrough
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author Bryan Burrough recently made a shocking discovery: The small town of Temple, Texas, where he had grown up, had harbored a dark secret. One of his high school classmates, Danny Corwin, was a vicious serial killer. In this chilling tale, Burrough raises important questions of whether serial killers can be recognized before they kill or rehabilitated after they do. It is also a story of Texas politics and power that led the good citizens of the town of Temple to enable a demon who was their worst nightmare.
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Odd narration choice
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By: Bryan Burrough
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Evil Has a Name
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For his victims, for their families and for the investigators tasked with finding him, the senselessness and brutality of the Golden State Killer's acts were matched only by the powerlessness they felt at failing to uncover his identity. Then, on April 24, 2018, authorities arrested 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo at his home in Citrus Heights, Calif., based on DNA evidence linked to the crimes. Amazingly, it seemed, evil finally had a name. Please note: This work contains descriptions of violent crime and sexual assault and may not be suitable for all listeners.
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Audible Raises The Bar On True Crime Genre
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
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Elwood Blues (aka Dan Aykroyd) is on another mission—to tell the full story of how two young actors went from blues lovers to Blues Brothers. In this fascinating audio documentary Aykroyd “gets the band back together”, taking listeners on a road trip through time—from late nights in the early days with John Belushi at Dan’s speakeasy in Toronto, to working with blues legends Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Ray Charles on The Blues Brothers movie, through the founding of House of Blues, the Blues Brothers 2000 sequel, and beyond.
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You had to be there
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Pulse
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In a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016, the shooter, Omar Mateen, murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attack was the deadliest act of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in US history and the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11. But there’s a story you haven’t heard. The FBI had a secret history with the shooter and his father. To obscure that history, the FBI pushed a false story that the media dutifully carried—that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who had chosen to target Pulse and planned the attack for weeks.
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Heart wrenching
- By Kaylee Charles on 07-21-24
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Elvis and Me
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The inspiration for the major motion picture Priscilla directed by Sofia Coppola, this New York Times best seller reveals the intimate story of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, told by the woman who lived it.
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What a story!
- By Pen Name on 08-28-22
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Helter Skelter
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Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.
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Everything I remembered about the case was wrong..
- By karen on 06-22-12
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The Book of Murder
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Examining murder from an insider’s perspective, Matt Murphy—a former senior deputy district attorney and current ABC News legal analyst—discusses cases from his career, how they strained his personal life, and how he found peace seeking justice for victims and their families. Part taxonomy of murder, part prosecutor’s handbook, and part personal memoir, The Book of Murder goes through a dozen cases and his recollections of his 26 years in the Orange County DA’s office (17 in the Homicide Unit).
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A meaningful life
- By Kimberly R Edwards on 11-02-24
By: Matt Murphy
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What listeners say about The Life and Operas of Verdi
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Roger
- 12-10-21
Bravo, Verdi! Bravo, Greenberg!!
Greenberg‘s lectures on music from the Teaching Company are always golden. This in-depth dive into the life and operas of Verdi is one of his best. Greenberg is habit-forming for any concert music lover. Very highly recommended.
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- Alifa
- 12-06-13
The Life and Operas of Verdi
I came late to an appreciation of opera, and found this course to be a fantastic adjunct to my growing knowledge. Sometimes I think the professor was a bit snarky and tried too hard to be funny, but that is merely a quibble. He provided an amazing amount of detail about Verdi's life, and much valuable information about the major operas. I did think he dwelt too long on Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, but that is quite understandable, since it was a radical departure for Verdi (whose operas tended toward the tragic). Now I want to go visit Buzetto and see Verdi's home, and I can hardly wait until June, when La Traviata will be performed at Masada.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Brian
- 11-18-16
Wonderful
Once again professor Greenberg does an awesome job teaching this course. I intend to listen to all of his courses. Viva professor Greenberg, Viva .
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- Joseph Shrager
- 01-09-23
Greenberg enthusiasm is off the charts!
At 55, never having seen or heard an opera…. A whole world opened up, because of Greenberg’s consummate storytelling! Can’t say enough of how wonderful this experience was!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Brett Green
- 06-24-18
Great insight and great music
Greenberg is not for everyone, but if you like a bit of pomp with your lectures, you’ll love this. I was familiar with Verdi before this course, but I learned a tremendous amount. Well worth it.
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- ka1225
- 12-02-13
Brilliant narration but too much focus on the man
Where does The Life and Operas of Verdi rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It would be among the top 5. It is well narrated but too much focus is on the man and not soo much on his music.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Life and Operas of Verdi?
The episode of the creation of Otello and Verdi's passion and patience with composing.
Which scene was your favorite?
Same as above
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
At moments it made me feel sad with the way the author defined the pains of Verdi.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Cruz
- 03-01-20
The over acting from the narrator was a shame
The shouts and screeches hurt my ears quite often. Besides the over acting and screeching loudly, I do recommend it, just be prepared to lower the volume whenever he starts acting out the opera.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ava K. Perry
- 09-10-15
Viva Opera!
Marvelous! Well worth every penny. Loved the biographical portions as well as music! Sense of humor injected in every lecture!
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- Timothy J. Smith
- 07-17-20
The Passion of Verdi vs the wit of the Borscht Bel
This series, originally given in the 90s, is hard to fully evaluate. You will either find Greenburg's OTT somewhat contrived informality irritating and distracting, or--as I did--a welcome counterbalance to the detail-laden treatment of Verdi's life and development as a composer. I am something of a Verdi scholar myself, and thought I had a pretty thorough knowledge of his works etc. - but Greenburg's use of correspondence from other people, early biographies, contemporary newspaper articles informs us and gives us a wider understanding of Verdi than would be true if we were left with Greenburg's own reverent passion for him--which is seldom critical and often drenched in operatic hyperbole. Even so, again, as an audio course, i have suffered through too many lifeless lecture series to really whinge on about this guy. I learned a lot, and rediscovered a pleasure in experiencing some of Verdi's middle operas that I had long forgotten. If you can get past or get along with the Borscht Belt bits, you will come away knowing a good deal about Verdi and his operas. I don't write many reviews (no time) but I do want to draw attention to this worthwhile course in what is otherwise an often mediocre product from the "Great Courses" company.
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- Mike
- 07-23-20
Superb
Once again Professor Greenberg has given a superb summary;this time of the life and operas of Verdi.It is long and detailed,just as it should be.Bravo Robert Greenberg
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