Four Last Songs: Aging and Creativity in Verdi, Strauss, Messiaen, and Britten
By: and
Sign Up Now!
Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title.
Learn about membership options,
or view our freely available titles.
- Synopsis
- Aging and creativity can seem a particularly fraught relationship for artists, who often face age-related difficulties as their audience s expectations are at a peak. In"Four Last Songs," Linda and Michael Hutcheon explore this issue via the late works of some of the world s greatest composers. Giuseppe Verdi (1813 1901), Richard Strauss (1864 1949), Olivier Messiaen (1908 92), and Benjamin Britten (1913 76) all wrote operas late in life, pieces that reveal unique responses to the challenges of growing older. Verdi s"Falstaff," his only comedic success, combated Richard Wagner s influence by introducing young Italian composers to a new model of national music. Strauss, on the other hand, struggling with personal and political problems in Nazi Germany, composed the self-reflexive"Capriccio," a life review of opera and his own legacy. Though it exhausted him physically and emotionally, Messiaen at the age of seventy-five finishedhis only opera, "Saint Francois d Assise," which marked the pinnacle of his career. Britten, meanwhile, suffering from heart problems, refused surgery until he had completed his masterpiece, "Death in Venice. " For all four composers, age, far from sapping their creative power, provided impetus for some of their best accomplishments. With its deft treatment of these composers final years and works, "Four Last Songs" provides a valuable look at the challenges and opportunities that present themselves as artists grow older. "
- Copyright:
- 2015
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- Book Size:
- 176 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9780226255620
- Related ISBNs:
- 9780226255590
- Publisher:
- The University of Chicago Press
- Date of Addition:
- 08/01/23
- Copyrighted By:
- The University of Chicago Press
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Psychology, Music
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.
Reviews
Other Books
- by Linda Hutcheon
- by Michael Hutcheon
- in Nonfiction
- in Biographies and Memoirs
- in Psychology
- in Music