This opera has been described as “the longest
single smile in the German language”. But
Roland Matthews indicates that violence is
not far beneath the surface of this portrait
of medieval Nuremberg. Arnold Whittall’s
analysis gives a bird’s-eye view of the
complexity of the score. Timothy McFarland
explores the significance of the choice of
subject: that nostalgia for a pre-industrial
community, which was a symptom of the
German nationalist movement. The long text
has many subtleties which opera audiences
can hardly appreciate without reading it, and
the musical themes are numbered to indicate
where they occur.
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'Brilliantly produced and superb value.'
Sunday Times
'All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought.'
Daily Telegraph
'Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series.'
TLS
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By the same author:
